Calling Out
by Laughing Yuurei
Summary: Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Various pieces from this universe. Each chapter is linked to each other, but does not follow any strict chronological order (usually specified in chapter). Tsuna's as the main POV though it might shift according to the chapter (e.g. Ch4). Ch1: Takeshi and Hayato. Ch2: Bianchi. Ch3: Hibari. Ch5: Lambo. Ch7: Chrome and Mukuro. Ch8: Ryohei and Kyoko. Side!R27
1. Chapter 1

Calling Out

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU (hint:someone is an Incubus)/Swearing

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Humor/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort with a side Romance.

 **Characters/Pairings:** Hayato Gokudera, Takeshi Yamamoto, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (briefly)/ implied!R27

 **Summary:** Takeshi tries to summon a god to make a wish. He fails, invoking a demon instead. It quickly appears to be one of the best things he has ever done.

 **A/N:** Just something short and silly. I don't know if I'll write more in this universe. I might take requests but I don't know if I will really develop them. Decision's yours, readers. Hope you'll enjoy nevertheless!

* * *

A young raven-haired fifteen-year-old boy with hazel eyes, swirling with despaired hope, knelt just outside an inversed pentagram. Six candles, each one put at the end of each branch with the last cradled in his hands, barely lit up the dark room. The wax was slowly melting down, warm and sticky. The boy didn't move, letting it drip on his trousers. Instead, he kept his eyes closed as he recited excruciatingly and meticulously strings of words in a language that sounded like Latin. The tongue, foreign to him, was difficult to speak but he stubbornly continued. As he reached the end of his incantation and went for a clean knife beside him, the door he was showing his back to opened abruptly. Paying it no heed, the boy slashed his right wrist with no hesitation whatsoever.

"Idiot!" A harsh voice exclaimed as its owner rushed over.

It was too late as the teen's blood fell both into the candle's flame and on the facing traced branch. They both froze as the door violently and loudly shut, cutting them from the rest of the world. The flames wavered briefly before dancing wildly, emitting a sudden heat that made both the boy and his silver-haired friend flinch away. The color changed from the usual yellow to a reddish orange, flaring intermittently. The air in the room was utterly still, and they had, at some point, ceased to breathe.

Something swished in the center of the pentagram. They squinted their eyes, perceiving some sort of dark veil fluttering despite the lack of any wind. They shivered, a primal fear taking hold of their hearts, at the sight. Despite their increasing terror, they stayed put, utterly fascinated. Suddenly, all the candles' flames - save for the one painfully gripped in the dark-haired boy's hold – vanished silently, taking away any light. The two friends waited, light-headed from the lack of oxygen and the hold of their joined terror, and stared right in front of them, eyes wide opened on the darkness.

There was a chuckle coming from the void in front of them. For some reason, they both blushed as the heat from the candles was seemingly transferred to their blood, rushing in their veins.

"You _are_ always interesting to be around, Tsuna."

The voice, baritone and smooth, caressed their skins like the finest silk, amused but undeniably dangerously dark. They shivered in unison and shifted, suddenly uncomfortable in their bodies as they inhaled sharply a much needed breath.

"It's not as if I ask for these sorts of things to happen, as you very well know, Reborn."

This voice sounded both lighter and younger, though there was an indescribable undertone that put them instantly on guard, despite still fighting to shake off their previous reaction.

"You're a demon. Summons are expected and desired by us. How do you suppose we feed otherwise?"

The tone was unbelievably fond despite the condescension lacing the words.

"There are other means to feed."

"Few are as gifted as you. Shush now, we have guests."

The two boys blinked as the candles lit each after the other, revealing that the veil had indeed disappeared back to wherever it had come from. They both stared at the two figures left in its stead, otherworldly and entrancing. They instantly realized that the sinful baritone voice belonged to the tall and black-haired man whose dark, piercing and unnerving eyes were boring straight into their very souls. A smirk curled red and well-drawn lips, instantly attracting their attention to them. They only snapped out of their daze when the being chuckled, arrogantly pleased, and let his hands caressed the stomach of the one he was holding tightly. He burrowed his chin in a healthy brown but spiky hair, ignoring the sigh that followed. The other was thin and short, appearing delicate, though anyone observing more carefully – not that it was difficult to do since both only wore skin-tight clothes, enough to excite anyone's imagination while checking them out approvingly – would notice some muscles denying the first impression. His honey-colored eyes were definitely softer than his companion's but they were as unnerving, glowing in a hue not unlike the candles' unnatural flames. He shivered at the caress and squirmed but didn't try to stop the other.

All in all, one looked as an outrageously handsome and very attractive man, while the other seemed to be an utterly adorable and lovely adult barely out of his teenage years.

Of course, the fact that they had folded leathery wings and forked tails only served to further proved that they were _not_ normal people.

"Takeshi…" The silver-haired boy muttered, face as white as a corpse. "What the fuck did you do?"

"I wanted to summon a god?" Said Takeshi asked rather than answered, sounding understandably confused. "Do they usually look like that, Hayato?"

"Idiot!" Hayato repeated with clear exasperation. "They're no gods!"

Both demons waited patiently for the obvious revelation, Reborn absently shifting to more efficiently cage his companion between his arms, one of his hands slowly going up. The move was sensual enough to make both humans blush and look away awkwardly. Tsuna didn't even protest, used to it. He eyed with increasing worry the bloody wrist of his supposed summoner. He wondered when the boy, Takeshi, would realize that he had to bandage it.

"They're obviously UMA!"

"Wait, what?" Tsuna started, jerked out of his musing at the ludicrous proclamation.

"The veil was probably some kind of portal that allowed them to space travel." Hayato carried on, oblivious to the brunet's bewilderment and Reborn's amusement. "I wonder if their appearance is due to a coincidence or if this sham of a ritual is involved in – "

"So, they're basically aliens?" Takeshi cut him off, taking his friend completely seriously.

"Yes, that's what I've been telling you for the past minute!"

Tsuna waved his hands in front of him, trying to attract their attentions and ignoring how Reborn's body was slightly shaking with his muffled laughter.

"You've got it wrong!"

Both teens turned their attention to them, blinking at them as if they had forgotten their presences. It would have been offending if it wasn't so weird. In all their years, it had never happened to either demons. Tsuna huffed and attempted to pull away enough to show his wings. Reborn didn't agree though, tightening his hold and restraining his movements. His eyes shone with a malicious glint, clearly stating that the small demon would not escape from him. He did open widely his wings, letting the humans get a good look at them. The room darkened at once, three of the candles being blown out at the burst of wind created.

Tsuna rolled his eyes at the smugness radiating from the other at the sudden spike of fear coming from the mortals. Extending an arm and with a palm facing up, he conjured a ball of pure flames to bring some light. He was unaware of the resulting moving shadows and the downright terrifying picture they made that terrorized even more both boys. Needless to say, Reborn was having way too much fun, especially considering that the summoning wasn't originally his.

"Look, we're not gods and certainly not aliens." Tsuna stated calmly. "We're demons."

They waited for the usual exclamations of fear, the pleas to have their souls untainted and their lives spared. Instead, they got a 'Cool' from an impressed Takeshi and an 'Are you sure?' from a skeptical Hayato. Tsuna stared at them before twisting to look at Reborn.

"You had had – and have – still a lot more summoners than me, being a Sin and all." He began quietly, sounding a bit lost at their reactions. "Is _this_ normal?"

"No." Reborn answered, smirk still in place.

Tsuna's shoulders slumped as he moaned in despair.

"Last time, I got a seven-year-old child who wanted to _bite me to death_." He ruffled his hair in agitation. "Before, I got a crazy woman who only summoned me because she needed to test how potent her Poison Cooking was and I only survived because I'm a _demon._ And now, I have _them_."

"Hey, that sounded like your sister, Hayato." Takeshi casually remarked, a hint of tiredness seeping through. "And the kid, that's Hibari, no?"

"Don't speak of Aneki, idiot." Hayato muttered, looking suddenly ill.

Tsuna tilted his head at that, squinting as if to look better. He sniffed the air, picking up on a vaguely familiar scent.

"Huh." He uttered in complete surprise. "Now that you've said it, it's true that you're rather familiar."

"Before continuing, you should take care of this wound, kid." Reborn pointed out, nodding towards Takeshi. "It would be a shame for you to die before agreeing to a Contract, right?"

"Oh, I've completely forgotten about that." The boy laughed it off while his friend downright snapped at him for his carelessness.

Hayato left the room with a huff, shouting that he would be back with the necessary things. Once the door closed behind him, Reborn flicked his wrist to temporarily seal it. He released the smaller demon who looked at him in confusion as he stalked closer to the summoner. Shadows cloaked him as all the candles, except the one still quickly melting between the mortal's hands, extinguished silently. Takeshi stiffened, sensing the intimidating approach but otherwise unable to see him.

"So." Reborn purred, his voice caressing Takeshi's ear as a puff of breath sent shivers down his spine. "Why did you summon a demon, Takeshi?"

"Reborn."

Said demon didn't pay any mind to his companion's call. He let his power engulf the other, inciting new sensations to curse through the teen's body. Being the Sin of Lust, Reborn was extremely powerful. He wouldn't need long to get the human under his spell.

"Do you want riches? Or do you wish for power perhaps?"

"Reborn!"

Takeshi fluttered his eyelashes, feeling light-headed from both blood loss and whatever was the strange thing that the demon was doing to him. His breathing was coming in short pants, doing nothing to help him clear his mind.

"State your wish, Takeshi. We'll be happy to take your soul as payment."

Takeshi opened his mouth to ask for, he didn't know what – nothing, anything – as the voice lulled him further into a trance.

" _Reborn_."

Fire exploded from the center as Tsuna's annoyed voice called for the last time. Shadows shied away from the short demon whose eyes glared fiercely at the Sin, unafraid and stunning. His sunset-colored flames, from crimson to pale yellow, lit up the entire room. No darkness could be found anymore, except in their own shadows. They broke Takeshi from his trance who watched, mesmerized, as the two powerful beings stared at each other. He suddenly felt out of place, unneeded and unrequested. The intense hunger in Reborn's dark eyes was enough to petrify him on the spot while his instincts screamed to him to run away right now.

Takeshi watched as Reborn stalked closer to Tsuna – much like a predator ready to pounce – to cage him once again in his embrace. There was nothing comforting or soft in it though. It wasn't possessive like before either. As weird as it sounded, it was clearly meant as a warning, staking how easy it would be for Reborn to snap him if he wished so. Tsuna merely reached a hand to cup one of Reborn's cheek, letting a finger absently caress a sideburn as he did so, and gazed evenly at him, unimpressed.

"You know that I'm not like that."

Reborn narrowed his eyes.

"You won't elevate in ranks if you refuse to eat souls." The Sin pointed out as he leant closer still. "Your position as a lower-class is insulting to both your lineage and your power."

"I don't care about that."

"You should."

Tsuna sighed, his Flames dimming to reach a hue much more comfortable for Takeshi's eyes.

"How many times do we have to argue this point?"

"Until I manage to drill it into your pretty albeit thick head."

Tsuna didn't flinch at the harsh tone, merely replaying with a 'We'll talk about it later'. He then sent the other a pointed look. Reborn flicked his wrist once more before catching Tsuna's hand and reintegrating his position from earlier with the slight difference of their interlaced fingers. The door opened a few seconds later to let in a grumbling Hayato. As he sent to work, Takeshi sneaked glances at the pair standing in the pentagram, holding a short discussion between them. He decided to break the silence, too curious for his own good.

"You seem close."

Tsuna snorted at that.

"Hard not to be when _someone_ is constantly invading your space, no matter what you think about that."

"To think that you believe that I was being, I quote, 'touchy-feely because I am the Sin of Lust'." Reborn chuckled.

"How was I supposed to know that a _Sin_ would be interested in a mere low-class demon?" Tsuna huffed, slightly hitting the other's chest. "For all I knew, you could have been playing around or something."

"Yes, because actively seeking you and expressing my interest in various forms, did not mean anything at all." Reborn wryly replied.

Tsuna shot him an incredulous look.

"You call that training – which is so awful that it gives another definition to the world hellish – an _interest_ of your part? I thought you were trying to creatively kill me because you were bored or because I had offended you in some way."

"If you liked it so much, I can always tutor you again."

Tsuna blanched at Reborn's casual proposition, squirming in his arms as he tried to get away.

"No, no, I'm okay!" He squeaked. "There's really no need to – "

Takashi and Hayato watched as Reborn feigned reflecting on the matter as well as effortlessly restraining the other quite efficiently. Tsuna didn't give up, sensing apparently that he wouldn't be let off the hook so easily. It was confirmed when the Sin leaned in to whisper a few words into his ear, causing him to flush, his Flames flaring slightly as their dance became wilder.

Both teens exchanged a look.

"If you're not going to make a Contract, Takeshi, you need to free us from the ritual." Reborn, smoldering eyes still focused on the shivering demon in his arms, stated calmly.

"Oh, how do I do that?" The boy asked, ignoring Hayato's huff of exasperation at his lack of preparation.

"Blow on your candle." Reborn ordered, his power already engulfing Tsuna's remaining Flames in cloaks of shadows.

As Takeshi obeyed, blowing out the weak flame loosely held in his uninjured hand, he along with Hayato heard Reborn's parting words.

"If you ever get bored, call us again."

Their presences vanished as the dark lightened up at their absence. Of them, there was only the scent of fire and sulfur, as well as a lingering but mostly forgotten fear. Hayato and Takeshi sat in silence, oblivious to how close to death they had been but still musing on the strange beings they had just met. Behind them, the door opened.

"Hey, Takeshi, what are you doing here, in the dark?"

Tsuyoshi, Takeshi's father, paused as the smell hit his nose. Scrunching up his face, he sent a look at his son.

"Don't forget to open the window and clean any mess you have made before coming helping me with the clients, alright? Oh, and I have a cake for your friend and you, waiting in the kitchen."

He left without waiting for an answer. Takeshi collapsed on the floor, laughing almost hysterically at the normalcy of the order, in vivid contrast from their earlier encounter. Hayato took out one of his cigarettes but didn't lit it, watching his friend.

"Takeshi, why did you try to summon a god?"

The boy sobered up at the question. His gaze traveled from the used candle to the carefully made bandage. He remembered how he had thought he was alone, friendless, and with a father too busy to notice him, much less care about him. He remembered how he had thought that if he managed to get his wish answered by a god, then he could make his dad happy no matter the price he had to pay. He remembered how he had thought that he wasn't worth any worry or care. Smiling softly at the treated injury, Takeshi said none of that and replied instead, as carefree as ever but genuine.

"I don't know. I suppose it doesn't matter anymore."

"Idiot."

Takeshi only laughed at the concealed relief in the nickname, and got up instead, dragging with him a fond Hayato.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yep, as I've said, I may write more in this universe, maybe other unexpected summoners or pieces of Tsuna's and Reborn's lives. We'll see.

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to point out any mistakes, ask any questions or leave a request (who knows?)!

See you next time~


	2. Chapter 2

Calling Out – Chapter 2

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! This is true for any chapter included in this _fan_ fiction.

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. I don't follow Canon!Ages for any characters, including the humans, nor the age gaps. Casual approval of murder.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Humor/barely noticeable Hurt/Comfort.

 **Characters/Pairings:** Bianchi, Tsuna, brief mentions of Giotto and G. Past!RomeoxBianchi.

 **Summary:** Tsuna meets Bianchi.

 **A/N:** Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

Tsuna was enjoying his rest, face buried in his fluffy pillow, glad that Reborn, the _sadist_ , was a popular Sin. As such, he was quite frequently summoned and therefore, had to leave the Realm, dropping everything he was doing. That included promptly vanishing during one of his seances of torture that he was, for some reason, giving Tsuna under the guise of training him.

Really, Tsuna didn't understand the Sin. Had he offended him somehow? Was he just a temporary toy to relieve some boredom? Tsuna knew that he wasn't very well-liked in any of Hell's Realms and had been quite bullied during his youth. He hadn't thought that it would continue after reaching adulthood, especially not against someone as powerful as _Reborn_.

Tsuna sighed as he snuggled deeper, not even aware that the fire around him that had been progressively entering his room had begun licking his heels. He mentally berated himself for thinking of the Sin. He was supposed to enjoy his impromptu rest – not ponder about Reborn's motivations. There was no point in doing so anyway, the demon didn't make any sense.

Just as he was finally starting to drift off, Tsuna felt the distinct tug belonging to a summon. Groaning, he let his surrounding vanish in a sea of darkness. It had to happen during one of his rare rests, right? It couldn't be during one of Reborn's torture session, right? Tsuna yawned and straightened, choosing to sit up instead of stand. It wasn't as if any of his summons mattered anyway. He never got Contracted with any mortal, refusing to consume their souls.

It was another reason demons hated – or despised – him. He was just too nice. _And_ he didn't need souls to live. But it was mostly because he was nice.

When the shadowed veil released him into the inversed pentagram, prompting the candles to light up anew with his flames, Tsuna glanced around in search of his Summoner to leave as quickly as possible. He really wished to continue sleeping while he could. Then again, staying among the mortals was rather a great escape from the Sin. He dismissed the idea, obscurely sure that Reborn would manage to find him anyway and drag him back to Hell. Tsuna would it rather happen somewhere where he was comfortable and away from souls getting potentially devoured on the way.

Yes, a part of him had already given up on the idea that Reborn would cease pursuing him.

Yawning again, Tsuna sniffed a bit as he rubbed his eyes. His nose caught an awful smell, a curious mix of burnt rot and spoilt milk. He made a face at that, wondering where he had appeared now. The stench was so powerful that he could barely pick on the human's smell. It was spicy with a distinct stinging that lingered persistently. It was going to take some time to get rid of it, even after getting back to his realm. Glancing around, he finally noticed that there was a human girl, a sixteen-ish- year-old teen, holding both a candle and a plate in his hands. Without even taking another whiff, he knew that the horrible smell came from whatever was this dish.

The human was watching him carefully, nervousness buried under a composed mask of confidence. Being a demon, it wasn't difficult for Tsuna to pick out the pain hidden in her green eyes, born from heartbreak. He winced in sympathy, agreeing that emotional pain was worse than any physical ones. Her long pink hair reminded him of G, a friend of his brother, who shared the color but with a darker shade, while still too light from being truly red – much to his dismay and no matter his passionate protests.

They stared at each other for a moment in silence, Tsuna absently flexing his leathery wings as the urge to fly began to make him restless. He decided to break the quietness, eager to leave.

"Hello." He settled for a simple greeting. "I'm Tsuna."

"Bianchi." The human replied politely but coolly, gauging him thoroughly. "I invoked you."

"Summoned." Tsuna corrected reflexively. "Yeah, you did. Why did you summon me?"

He asked more rhetorically than anything, not really considering granting her wishes. As he stated before, he didn't need souls. It was apparently the good question to ask because her eyes lit up at his enquiry. She thrust her plate forward, almost letting go of the candle – the only protection she had against him. She smiled at him with a gleeful eagerness that, for some reason, made his skin crawl.

"I need someone to taste this."

Tsuna stared blankly at her. She summoned a demon to have a guinea pig in exchange for her soul. Who would do that?

"For that, you're ready to sell your soul to me?" He asked for clarification.

Her posture completely changed, closing off as she glared at him. She sneered.

"I don't care about my soul if I can get my revenge. Romeo will pay for what he has done to me."

"Romeo?" Tsuna repeated as he took a closer look at her, sensing the sharp fury crackling in her, briefly eclipsing her pain. "What happened?"

Bianchi blinked, surprised. "You'll listen to me?"

The demon shrugged a bit uncomfortably. Well, he was stuck there for the moment. It wasn't as if he could do something else.

"Sure." Tsuna agreed easily. "I'll listen."

It was with a relieved and grateful smile that Bianchi _entered_ the pentagram, plate and candle in hands, to sit down in front of him. Tsuna barely managed to suppress a grimace at the approaching smell. He wondered how she could stand it.

"It won't cost me anything, right?" She checked.

Tsuna would have applauded her caution if she hadn't already endangered herself by entering the freaking pentagram on her own. Nothing could stop Tsuna to grab her and drag her into Hell if he wanted so.

"Nah." He waved one of his hands. "I'm not interested in eating souls. Though, I must warn you that by coming inside like you did, you're basically inviting the summoned demon to kill you."

"Well, it's a good thing you're not interested." Bianchi commented dryly, seemingly amused for another reason that the previous point.

"Yeah." Tsuna nodded towards the candle. "You can snuff this one out, too. It's not protecting you anymore."

She did so, light leaving her features.

"Also," he added with a wry smile, "next time you summon a demon, don't obey them so obediently. That's going to get you eaten."

"I'll keep that in mind." She agreed as she returned his smile with one of her own.

Tsuna mentally gave himself a pat on the back, satisfied to have clear her gaze for a bit, fury letting place to amusement. He would have better appreciated the moment if he wasn't struggling to not gag from the awful smell coming from the dish. Bianchi noticed his glance towards the plate and sobered up.

"I have – had – a boyfriend that I loved deeply, from the bottom of my heart, really." She started, a little bit depreciatively. "I knew that our relationship was going to be complicated, between the rumors that he was nothing but a playboy due to his difficulty to let himself get attached enough to someone to be faithful, and me who comes from a powerful family with strict standards." Her lips twitched in a bitter smile. "You can imagine how my parents took the news when I informed them that I was going out with a boy who didn't share our living status."

Tsuna listened attentively, already able to picture the kind of life she had had until the break-up. It wasn't the first time he heard a story like hers. Some had a happy ending, with the lovebirds truly cherishing each other and breaking free from the chains of their families. Most, however, ended on a tragic note.

"It was hard." She admitted. "My parents were trying everything they could to stop me from meeting him and to discourage me from pursuing. I was constantly fighting them every single day, each time ours eyes met. It was painful to be judged and considered like a lovesick idiot without any brain and screwing up her future just for a boyish grin, by the people that mattered the most to me." She frowned as her free hand fiddled with her shirt in her agitation, eyes looking unfocusedly above his shoulder. "I didn't really care though. I thought that as long as Romeo wanted me, I could stand anything."

Fury caused her to clench her hand in a tight fist as she suddenly glared at something she alone could see.

"Then, I hear that this _bastardo_ was just that." Bianchi spat furiously. "He had always been this fucking playboy, cheating on me while whispering fake love pledges to me. He knew that I was ready to give up everything for him and that I was already alienating myself from my family so we could be together. And him, this asshole, what does he do? He flirts with anything that has breasts and sleeps around and…"

At his point, Tsuna tuned her out, letting her seethe. He didn't need any more details to get the gist of it. Obviously, Romeo had acted like the foolish human boy he was. From what he could hear, the boy was older than Bianchi and deciding that there wasn't any wrong in supposedly satisfying his _needs_ – Tsuna scoffed at that, knowing that sexual urges could be ignored – Romeo had gone elsewhere to do so. He had basically cheated on Bianchi multiple times.

In some way, Tsuna mused, the human had probably cared enough about her to not take her virginity. He still had lied to her face and used her emotionally – and probably financially too – so the demon could understand Bianchi's anger.

"…So that's why I'm going to ask for your help."

Tsuna blinked, emerging from his thoughts. His mind backtracked a bit as he tried to recall what she had said a bit before concluding.

"Wait, you want me to test your _Poison Cooking_ to be sure that it's fatal for a mortal?" He asked in disbelief.

Bianchi nodded.

"You want me to poison myself." He repeated flatly while giving her an incredulous look.

"You're a demon." She pointed out. "It's not going to kill you."

"It's not a reason for me to willingly ingurgitate poisons!" Tsuna protested, baffled by the reasoning. "I do not enjoy pain, you know!"

Bianchi pouted at his reluctance as she thrust the dish just beneath his chin. He leant away without thinking.

"Besides, don't you think that killing him is a bit radical?" He tried.

"He'll pay for playing with my love like this!" She hissed in determination, bloodthirst darkening her vivid orbs. "My feelings are not a _toy_. I'll show them what happened when they think that they can use me freely without any retribution."

Tsuna backed away at the fierceness, suddenly understanding why she had been able to summon a demon.

"I can't believe I'm considering it." He muttered under his breath. Louder, he added. "I don't need to taste anything to know that it's deadly for any human eating it. It reeks enough."

Bianchi shot him a curious look. She sniffed the air above her plate, not catching anything special.

"What do you mean? I can't smell anything."

Tsuna ruffled his hair with a sigh, sensing that she was saying the truth. Human senses truly sucked, if they weren't able to determine what was edible and what could cause their death in terrible pain. He ignored her question.

"Alright, if I do that, you'll promise me that you'll only use it on this Romeo."

"On every pig that treats me like their plaything?" She compromised after thinking about it.

Tsuna opened his mouth, ready to protest, before closing it as he considered. Well, he couldn't care less for humans, especially if they deserved whatever punishments Bianchi might give them.

"Deal." He accepted, making sure that the promise wasn't spiritually binding, and reaching to take a bite.

Tsuna instantly knew that he wasn't looking forward for the long hour of agony the poison would be giving him, as he swallowed with difficulty the Poison Cooking. He fought his gag reflex, ready to retch to get the substance out of his body as soon as possible. His tongue was coated with the taste of burnt rot and spoilt milk, invading even his sinuses. It was with a livid face and a strained smile that Tsuna turned to Bianchi.

"If Romeo survived that, he's not human." The demon assured her in a raspy voice, his throat seemingly burning up as if he had just swallowed acid.

Bianchi beamed at him happily. "Thank you, Tsuna! I didn't know who I else I could ask without getting into trouble. I'm very grateful."

"It's nothing." He dismissed her words with a shaky hand. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."

She nodded. "I hope we meet again, Tsuna." She waved as shadows wrapped around him.

 _I surely hope not_ , Tsuna thought fervently as he fell down and back into his realm. He took comfort in the multi-colored flames surrounding him as he groaned miserably into his knees, curling into a ball. He wasn't even able to reassure his brother, Giotto, when he burst into his room unexpectedly in one of his unplanned visits.

As he thankfully fell into inviting darkness, he distantly heard Giotto fretting over him while swearing that he would gut alive whoever did this to him and G trying to calm him down before chaos erupted.

 _And here I thought it was going to be a restful day._

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to point out any mistakes! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~


	3. Chapter 3

Calling Out - Chapter 3

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Mention of bullying. The vaguest mention of abuse from family.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Hurt/Comfort, a bit of Humor.

 **Characters/Pairings:** Hibari Kyouya, Tsuna, minor OC.

 **Summary:** Tsuna gets summoned by a child, but before anything can truly be said, Hibari timely bursts into the scene.

 **A/N:** Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

When Tsuna got summoned, he was running away from sinisterly grinning demons, trying to find a good spot to open widely his wings to fly far away from his troubles. He wasn't finding any and was quite rapidly losing grounds. To say that the summon had a good timing would be an understatement. He stopped moving, long enough for the veil to wrap around him, spotting the disappointed expression that was painted on their unnerving faces. Tsuna was rarely summoned, compared to high-ranked demons, and found the whole ordeal useless since he didn't eat human souls, but it was at times like these that he could appreciate them.

Of course, Reborn would have simply told him to fry them all but Tsuna didn't share his bloodlust.

The veil dropped him in a grassy glade, surrounded by old and majestic oaks. A dull sun was shining down on him, barely warming the cold air. Taking a closer look around, the demon realized that there weren't any leaves on the trees nor were there any flowers blooming around him. Tilting his head down, he noticed that the pentagram had been traced with little rocks, dancing glimmers of half-buried candles at each branch. That wasn't one of the wisest place to summon a demon. It would be easy to take advantage of the natural wind to blow out the light trembling in the Summoner's hold. The temperature had risen up drastically with Tsuna's presence, even more so as he absently conjured a blue will-o'-the-wisp and kept him levitating around him. He finally looked at the one who had called him and did a double take, not expecting a child.

It was a boy, no older than ten, with short dark brown hair, pale skin with a black eye, and two frightened orbs staring right at him. He was cradling his right hand close to his chest, the flame of his only protection flickering. Tsuna sighed at the sight, wondering about the reason of his presence. Was it linked to the wounds?

"Hi."

The boy started violently from his kneeling position at his voice, no matter how gentle the tone. Tsuna was patient however and stayed put.

"I'm Tsuna." He carried on. "What's your name?"

"…Hiroto."

It was barely audible, and without his keen senses, Tsuna would have probably missed it, the word taken away by the wind. Another silence fell as the demon mused about how he should brush the matter of his summoning. As he opened his mouth to ask another question – choosing to go straight to the point – a rustle at his left caused him to pause. He turned his head to catch the sight of another child, a younger boy with jet black hair and dark eyes narrowed at them, approaching them fearlessly. Hiroto flinched.

"Hi-Hibari-san!" He squeaked. "I'm not crowding!"

The newcomer, Hibari, took one look at the injured human and instantly brought out something out of his uniform jacket. Tsuna stared at the customized tonfa, wondering who on earth gave that to a child.

"For harming a pupil of Namimori, I'll bite you to death!" Hibari snarled as he lunged straight _into_ the pentagram, aggressiveness pouring out of every one of his pores.

Tsuna dodged reflexively, mulling over the vocabulary of his little attacker. To his surprise, Hibari did not cross the branches, entering into contact with the invisible barrier preventing any summoned demons from leaving. That could mean only one thing... Tsuna groaned as he evaded another swift attack.

"Wait!" He threw his arms up in a 'I do not wish you any harm' manner, trying to stop the child in the restrained space they were sharing. "I didn't do anything!"

"For lying to me, I will bite you to death!"

"You can't be serious!" Tsuna risked a glance at his petrified summoner. "Hiroto-kun, can you please explain to him?"

There was no help from the boy who looked ready to bolt at any second, frightened by the violence or the other kid, or maybe a little bit of both. The demon continued to avoid Hibari as best as he could, ducking and basically dancing around in an odd choreography. He knew that he wouldn't get injured shall the hit touch him. On the contrary, the hostile boy would most likely suffer the consequences of his rash reaction. His conjured fire had wandered away, sticking close to the summoner while staying inside the pentagram, trying to warm up the shivering Hiroto.

"Look," Tsuna tried as he side-stepped another vicious swing of the tonfa, "do you realize where you are and who're you attacking?"

"Stop talking and fight me." The child ordered, not really listening and intent on switching the one-sided confrontation in a reciprocal one.

He was wavering though, movements slowing down. Despite the demonic blood running into his veins that was both granting him inhuman-like physical abilities and preventing him from leaving the pentagram once entering it, Hibari was only a _human_ boy.

"What is wrong with you, human child?" Tsuna sighed in frustration as he stood up in front of Hiroto after another evasion. "You're what? Five?"

"Seven." The boy snapped, offended but pausing in his actions, glaring at the demon as he struggled to regulate his breathing.

"You're seven and you're attacking me, a fire demon, over a misunderstanding!" Tsuna shot him a pleading look. "Can't you stop and think for a bit?"

"No."

"No?" He parroted, incredulous. "What – "

He squawked ungracefully when Hibari just jumped on him, going for his throat, snarling. Tsuna was already moving out of the way when a squeak from behind reminded him of Hiroto's presence. If he were to evade the aggressive boy, his summoner would get smack his tonfa in his place. Considering how fragile Hiroto looked and the wounds he had, it wouldn't do any good. Catching the tonfa in his left hand, Tsuna gripped with deft fingers Hibari's collar and stilling himself, stopped the formidable Skylark moving.

"Enough." The demon gave him a stern look even as he checked that he wasn't chocking the human. "As noble or questionable your act is, little protector, I was summoned by Hiroto. The ritual is still keeping me from him as you can sense, since it is also holding you prisoner. You're lucky that I have no interest in taking advantage of the fact that you willingly place yourself in my mercy to force obedience on Hiroto, the very same boy you're trying to protect."

Hibari's expression morphed into a scowl, hiding his embarrassment behind irritation.

"If I hadn't stopped you, you would have hurt him, child." Tsuna carried on, admonishing. "It was stupid of you. If you want to protect something, make sure that you are not the one harming them instead."

The demon then turned to Hiroto, still carefully holding Hibari just in case, and softened his unnerving eyes. He smiled soothingly at him as the will-o'-the-wisp flared briefly, radiating heat enough to chase away any coldness.

"Now, Hiroto, I think that you had a reason for summoning me, right?"

The boy watched with wide eyes, appearing dumbstruck. He clammed up when he noticed that even Hibari had tilted his head enough to gaze down at him, waiting for the answer, immobilized as he was. The candle was more than half-way consumed, dripping wax on his fingers and pants. It was hot enough to inflict pain but the small summoner didn't even react.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the frightened and apprehensive form who had fallen on his butt at some point during the past minutes. The demon carefully observed him, picking up non-verbal hints in order to formulate the beginning of an answer to his question. His gaze shifted between Hibari and Hiroto several times as he compared the two, noting the differences in height and weight, the color of their skin and hair, the life and emotions in their eyes, and their reactions to his movements and shifts of moods. What he found prompted him to tighten his lips in a straight line, displeasure causing a growling to rumble in his chest. The sound startled Hibari's curiosity who managed to raise a demanding eyebrow at him despite his position as an unwilling statue while Hiroto flinched away, almost dropping the candle.

Tsuna smoothed his features in a gentle expression, burying down his anger. He slowly released Hibari as he appraised him with a considering look.

"You said, Hibari-kun, that you wanted to 'bite me to death' for hurting Hiroto-kun, right?"

Hibari narrowed his eyes but nodded his assent, looking way more mature than his age.

"Here's the deal." Tsuna tilted his head as a disturbing grin curled his lips. "I'll take care of the most annoying fries, while you go to discipline the bullies that harmed Hiroto-kun in your territory."

There was a startled sound coming from his summoner. Tsuna turned his head towards him, his expression switching back to his precedent gentleness.

"That is the reason of my summoning, isn't it, Hiroto-kun?" He asked softly, reading the confirmation in the jerky nod that he was given. "You want me to punish the ones hurting you."

Hibari let out an angry noise from the back of his throat at the confirmation, not taking well the fact that someone dared to do so without any worry.

"If you tell us their identities, Hibari-kun and I will take care of it." Tsuna promised as he crouched down in front of his summoner.

Hiroto hesitated, gnawing on his lower lips, stricken by a sudden doubt.

"If you do, you'll take my soul, no?" He enquired shyly, a little unsure on how he should feel about that.

"No, Hiroto-kun." Tsuna smiled reassuringly at him. "I don't eat souls, especially not innocent one like yours."

"Then…why?"

"Because I don't like bullies." Tsuna replied bluntly, thinking of his own. "And because I know that I wished that someone would notice my wounds when I was hurting."

Hiroto understood without needing any explanation, comprehension and compassion flashing in his eyes. He then spoke quietly, telling everything about his bullies from school and some more personal, about some relatives of his that were cruel enough to deserve the sinister promise glowing in Tsuna's otherworldly orbs.

"Thanks for telling us, Hiroto-kun." Tsuna stood up, absently cracking his neck as he flexed his fingers. He pointed it to the conjured fire still floating around them. "The flames will burn violet once we're done to alert you, before disappearing."

Beside him, Hibari was vibrating with restrained energy, a bloodthirsty smirk on his lips. For a seven-year-old child, he was quite frightening. He was already ruthless too. No doubt that he would grow into a terrifying sight for his future enemies.

"Now, release us, Hiroto-kun."

The summoner gladly obeyed, blowing out the flickering flame of the candle. Hibari took off in a burst of inhuman speed while Tsuna grinned, bloodlust turning his eyes crimson, as he vanished into an explosion of fire.

Hiroto was left alone with the gently pulsing and blue will-o'-the-wisp beside him, a bright smile slowly stretching his lips for the first time since his torment had begun.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to point any mistakes! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~


	4. Bonus

Calling Out - Bonus

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Reborn's POV (3rd person).

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre:** Humor/a bit of Romance.

 **Characters/Pairings:** Bianchi, Adult!Reborn, Tsuna, a brief mention of Alaude and Giotto. R27.

 **Summary:** Reborn meets Bianchi.

 **A/N:** Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

A twenty-year-old woman with long pink hair and vivid green eyes sat, cross-legged, in front of a pentagram. There was a candle on each branch with the last cradled between her hands. She was whispering inaudible words in the darkness of the room, steadily and swiftly. There was a plate near her, covered with some aluminum to keep, judging by the form, a cake from growing cold too quickly. She wore tight jeans and a top that complimented her well, without revealing too much to the point of vulgarity. Her features had lost whatever naiveté her younger self possessed, gaining maturity. She was beautiful and she knew it, stature confident and composed.

Bianchi had grown into a woman as years passed, ready to take on the world despite the lingering resentment she kept for Romeo, and any man resembling him.

The darkness in the room seemed to deepen as the air turned dreadfully cold. Her breath provoked little puffs of white air. She didn't remember the room turning so freezing when she had summoned Tsuna the first time. On the contrary, the candles had irradiated a warmth almost suffocating. As the thought crossed her mind, the missed heat blazed with a vengeance, scorching in its intensity. The veil of shadows appeared in the reversed pentagram. The candles all extinguished – except for the one she was loosely holding in his bandaged hand – and lit up a few moments later, revealing a dark and handsome man, wearing all black, fitting deliciously his curves. His onyx eyes instantly caught hers as he prowled towards her confidently, a sinful smirk curling luscious lips.

Bianchi stared at him, enraptured, forgetting where she was and why she had done the summoning in the first place.

The demon stopped a breath away from her, gazing down at her. His leathery wings shuddered briefly as he folded them neatly in his back. His forked tail swished the air lazily, before curling around one of his legs.

"How shall I service you, Summoner?" He purred in a baritone voice that caressed her skin seductively.

Bianchi shivered, dazed, licking her lips as she tried to form words. The demon was unexpectedly patient, consenting to tone down on his allure to let her brain worked again. She blinked, clearing her throat as delicately as possible.

"You're…not who I was expecting." She finally managed to whisper, still overwhelmed, but curiously fearless.

The demon cocked an eyebrow, curious. "Oh?"

He sniffed the air around her, not recognizing any trace indicating that she belonged to a demon. Her soul was unclaimed still.

"Who were you looking for?" He asked, absently acknowledging that a few centuries ago, he would have been offended to be almost dismissed by any human. "Did they tell you their name?"

Her eyes focused, a sharpness piercing through the haze his voice was creating.

"His name was Tsuna." She answered, observing his handsome features to know if it rang any bell, while trying her best not to be distracted.

Reborn felt his eyes slightly widen before he gave a low chuckle, wondering why he was even surprised. He glanced around, spotting the plate near her. With another sniff to confirm his doubts, he easily recognized her.

"You are the human who asked him to taste your Poison Cooking."

Bianchi started, not expecting the demon to know about her.

"Tsuna told you about me?" She enquired with slight wonder in her voice. She wouldn't have expected the beings to talk about their summons. Then again, wasn't it usual for colleagues or friends to share anecdotes? It just seemed so _normal_ … She nodded despite the lack of required confirmation. "That was me, yes. I'm Bianchi."

"So, Bianchi," Reborn purred as he let his curiosity drive his movements. "Why is it that you wanted to summon Tsuna?"

"I…" She trailed off as her voice got stuck in her throat, pausing to take control of it. "I wanted to give him this cake as thanks for last time. I also wanted to share another chat with him." She acknowledged, in no way embarrassed. "He had been kind to me."

"Yes, I can imagine." Reborn replied dryly, knowing well his fellow demon.

He narrowed his eyes, pondering about the situation. It was odd that she managed to summon him, a Sin, instead of Tsuna for something as trivial as giving thanks. There wasn't any question of Contract between them. Glancing around, he noted that the ritual looked like the one Tsuna had been called upon when they had met the two human children. It was certainly not designed to hold back a Sin like him. He narrowed his eyes briefly as he stopped muting his allure, leaning forward so that he could overwhelm her with his scent, letting his breath ghost over her lips.

"Now, Bianchi, I wonder why you summoned the Sin of Lust instead of an Elemental like Tsuna." His hands slowly reached to cup her cheeks, forcing their gazes to lock. "Did you really tell me all the truth?"

"Y-yes." She stammered, a flicker of desire and surprise when she heard her stutter passing in her clouded eyes.

"You had nothing else in mind, really?" Reborn insisted, tilting her head up effortlessly. "Tsuna, contrary to most Elementals, possessed an alluring body, one that can rival an Incubus's. Are you telling me that not even a single sinful thought crossed your mind about him and you?"

"No." She sighed as she leant into his hold, body relaxing despite instincts urging her to fight it. "I only wanted another friendly chat with him. There's something…comforting in him."

Reborn hummed thoughtfully, knowing that she was referring to his lure. He attracted souls, no matter the kind, like a fire drawing moths until they burned, consumed by his heat. Demons flocked to him, seeking his strength until they noticed that Tsuna was greatly different from them with principles and a heart loving enough to inspire compassion and kind around him. Most of them were frightened away by this change, thrilling in inflicting suffering. Being with Tsuna required the will to surpass yourself in ways that no one could have thought. The fiery Elemental was a challenge that few could accept. As for humans, they just wanted someone to offer them comfort and acceptance, a company that wouldn't reject them for selfish reasons but for their own sakes. It was only one example out of many as to why Tsuna captivated so many eyes, his delectable body being another.

He was a burning amber with a taste of honey, belonging to no one but Reborn.

His tail unwrapped from around his leg, swishing in mild agitation as another type of heat rushed through his veins. He released the human and stepped back, briefly trying to control his Sin. While it was proof of great power to attain such a position, it was sometimes akin to a curse, especially when their Sins acted on their own. Reborn took a deep breath, regaining his composure instantly, covering his slip-up well.

"Then, if it isn't your intentions, it probably comes from the summoning words." He mused out loud, trying to focus on the matter at hand instead of letting his Sin remind him of pleasant memories. "How did you formulate them?"

Bianchi repeated them obediently, oddly reminded of Tsuna's advice on caution, trying to pull herself together. He muted his allure mercifully, no longer interested in her soul since the moment she had proven to be of Tsuna's acquaintance. His lover despised the idea that his friends, no matter their nature, could be harmed, especially by another demon.

Reborn listened distractedly, flexing his wings and blowing out some candles, calling upon shadows to wrap around him.

"I see." He commented slowly when she stopped. "You need to be careful with your wording, human. Your wish to share company was vague enough to call upon an Incubus such as me, instead of the one you intended for. Another demon wouldn't be as comprehensive as me."

He extended gracefully a hand towards her, watching Bianchi twitch in an abortive movement to come forth or back away.

"For the friendly bond you share with Tsuna, I shall give him your gift."

Bianchi stood up abruptly, slightly stumbling when she realized that her legs had fallen asleep. She didn't notice that the candle she was still gripping in her right hand had since long lost its flame, leaving her without protection. She didn't enter the pentagram though, and stayed petrified as she watched him come closer. Reborn took the cake from her barely trembling hand, mind already miles away from there.

"I suggest going to your brother and his friend, Hayato and Takeshi I believe, if you're looking for the correct summon."

Reborn let the shadows envelop him, taking brief amusement in her startled expression. His power took him exactly where he wished, appearing into Tsuna's room of multicolored flames without any warning. The smaller demon tilted his head towards him, rolling his eyes at the abruptness. There was one of his brother's friend, Alaude, with him.

"That's rude, you know, barging into someone's room like this." Tsuna commented.

Reborn arched an eyebrow, lazily approaching him and barely acknowledging the third presence. Alaude, sensing the Sin acting up, reacted instantly.

"I appreciate your input, Tsunayoshi." He nodded at them both as he swiftly left the room.

"He's always so formal." Tsuna sighed, shaking his head. "After several centuries of knowing each other, one may think that he would relax a bit."

"What did your brother do this time?" Reborn asked, knowing that when Giotto's friends required his lover's _input_ , it was usually to do some damage control.

"Oh, you know, he pissed off some high-ranked demons, the usual." Tsuna vaguely explained as his eyes fell on the plate that the Sin was carrying. "Reborn… did you _cook_?"

Reborn scoffed as he cuffed the smaller demon for the absurd suggestion with his free hand, before handing the protected cake to him.

"Don't be an idiot." He practically ordered him. "It's from Bianchi."

Tsuna instantly paled at that, backing away from the food, remembering all too well the agony induced by her Poison Cooking. Reborn watched him in amusement, smirking.

"She wanted to give it to you but she made a mistake with her summoning." He explained as he observed different emotions crossed his lover's face, from surprise to relief.

"Right, I'll taste it later." He said unconvincingly, eyeing the gift as it was ready to bite him, failing to notice that there wasn't any deadly scent coming from it.

He reluctantly took it to a conjured table made of flames but solid enough to support any weight. He was a bit surprised that Reborn had actually done the errand. The Sin, as if reading his thoughts, prowled closer to his lover to embrace him from behind. He tipped his head down enough for his lips to brush against Tsuna's ear as he whispered huskily.

"And now, I want my reward."

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's it for the moment. Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to point any mistakes! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~


	5. Chapter 4

Calling Out – Chapter 4

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Mention of child neglect, close to child abandonment. Casual mention of planned torture/murder.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Hurt/Comfort, a bit of Romance.

 **Characters/Pairing:** Lambo, Tsuna, Adult!Reborn. Side!R27

 **Summary:** Tsuna meets Lambo. His age is between eight and ten.

 **Timeline:** Several months after Reborn met Bianchi.

 **A/N:** (For CatunaCaty who asked for more R27, 'cause I'm always happy to add any R27 when I can, especially when I know that there are at least two readers who'll be delighted too).

Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

Lambo sniffed quietly in the corner of the room, wiping his tears with his sleeves, stained with blood. His clumsy attempt of bandage was slowly getting undone, letting red pearls fall either on the floor or on his clothes. He couldn't see them, simply sensed them as they rolled on his skin before dropping wherever it was they touched. He didn't know how long he had been there, crying and sobbing in fright and helplessness. He didn't want to be there. The room was so dark he couldn't see anything, not even his own hands. He didn't understand why he was there either.

What did it mean that he needed to have the voice steady enough to summon a demon? What did it mean that he needed to have a soul strong enough to control a demon?

He didn't know. He wanted his Mamma back. She would have stopped his father from throwing him in this dark, cold and lonely room. She wouldn't have listened to the mean people telling his father that he needed a strong son and that he would be better off without any heir if Lambo was just a weak and pitiful crybaby. She wouldn't have accepted that his father abandoned his only son to spend countless time and nights with women, women that _were not his mother_.

But he couldn't have his mother back. She had left, far away, somewhere that he couldn't reach no matter how loud he cried or how fervently he wished.

His Mamma had left him alone with a father that hated him, forcing him to do rituals that didn't make any sense to him.

Lambo wiped his nose. He just wanted a family.

" _A child?_ "

Lambo started violently, jerking his head back enough to bump against the wall. The voice, unexpected and unfamiliar, didn't laugh at his misery. Several orbs of fire, of seven different colors, burst in the small room, revealing a figure inside of their circle. Kind but glowing sunset-eyes fell on the petrified child, clutching his curls in a loose grip. Leathery wings folded on his back as he slowly and silently approached Lambo.

"Huh, curious." The stranger muttered under his breath, bemused. He crouched down in front of the hurting child then, showing concern. "Here, let me see it."

Lambo blinked, staring in puzzlement at the adult in front of him. He didn't flinch away when hands covered his own, gently moving them away and palpating his scalp.

"You're a demon." Lambo blurted out in complete incomprehension.

The fingers, who had been soothingly massaging the area, paused. There was an equally soft chuckle before they carried on their task.

"Indeed, I am, child. My name is Tsuna. What's yours?"

"Lambo." He answered without remembering if it was actually a good thing for him to do so or no.

He was almost sure that it wasn't a good thing that a demon could touch him. Tsuna, though, seemed kind. Lambo decided on the spot that it wasn't important.

"There, do you feel better, Lambo?"

Lambo realized that his head had stopped hurting and that Tsuna had backed away again, smiling down at him while gazing with curiosity at the room.

"Yes." He nodded, voice oddly meek. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, Lambo." The demon replied distractedly. "Say, where are we? This room gave me a weird feeling…" He glanced down, fire lighting up the floor around him. "There are no circles or inversed pentagram. You paid the price of blood as expected, but you're not holding any candles for protection. I'm not supposed to be able to get so near my summoner." He frowned.

Lambo shrugged. He didn't know much about what Tsuna was talking about. He was only an unwilling participant after all. The demon paced a few feet around the room, observing with keen eyes everything. His fingers traced a pattern on one of the walls, testing the texture. Lambo watched him with undisguised curiosity, wondering what on earth Tsuna was looking for. Finally, the Elemental stopped in front of the door. He pursued his lips in a line as he noticed the lack of handle.

His anger caused his flames to flare brightly, illuminating for the briefest of moments the entire room. Lambo shut his eyes reflexively, blinded by the light. He consequently missed how Tsuna's face terrifyingly blanked.

"Lambo, what did you wish for when you were alone here?"

His voice was deceptively light and soft, belying nothing of the fury making his flames dance wildly around the room, growing hotter as seconds passed. Feeling self-conscious and strangely embarrassed, Lambo turned his head away, eyes still closed. He fidgeted nervously until he felt Tsuna sit down beside him. The demon didn't say anything, holding out a hand and waving his fingers delicately. The orbs dimmed, letting out a soft glow, as two of them came towards him. With a small, he directed the green one to float in front of Lambo while the orange one rested above his open palm.

Lambo opened his eyes to stare at the green flames, wondering. With hesitant fingers, he brushed them and flinched back in surprise. The contact hadn't been painful. Instead, it had felt warm and welcoming, soothing even. Without even realizing, he had started to silently cry again. He had never believed that he would be able to feel such emotions again.

"That." Lambo croaked as he swallowed the lump stuck in his throat. "I miss that."

Tsuna let the gently pulsing flames levitate above Lambo's cupped hands, observing him from the corner of his eyes. He played with the orange ones, while discreetly sending the five others towards the door, testing its resistance.

"I wished for a family." Lambo very quietly admitted, hands now cradling close the flames. "I want a family that will love me instead of abandoning me."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, feeling his flames pass through the pathetic excuse of a barrier that was the door.

"Then, Lambo, you wouldn't mind if I take you away from here?" He asked absently as he ordered his fire to come back. There was no need to alert the other humans. "I know where and with whom you will finally find what you're looking for."

"Really?" Lambo turned his head sharply towards the demon, eyes shining with hope. "You promise?"

"Pinky promise." Tsuna chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Though, you'll probably want to learn Japanese. Nana lives in Japan, after all." He added thoughtfully, realizing that Lambo was Italian.

"Don't care!" The child cried out in eagerness. "I'll learn every single language that exists if I have to!"

"Well, there's no need to." Tsuna fluidly got up and extending a hand, encouraged Lambo to imitate him. "We're going now." He noticed Lambo's hesitation. "What is it?"

"You're…going to take my soul, aren't you?"

Tsuna blinked, not expecting the sudden worry. It wasn't surprising though, considering that he _was_ a demon, after all.

"Ah, you shouldn't worry about that." He smiled reassuringly at the fidgeting child. "I'm not interested in souls." He paused long enough to let Lambo accept it before adding. "We should leave now, just in case some of the other humans come to check up on you." _Or worse_.

Lambo allowed Tsuna to pull him gently on his feet. He followed obediently the demon in front of the door.

"Hum, it is supposed to keep everything insi – "

Tsuna snorted at that, and with a lazy wave of his hand, the wood burst out in flames. In a handful of seconds, the door was completely charred and promptly crumbled by itself. Lambo, pale, watched the ashes with wide-eyed. If _that_ was the protection the adults had settled around, no one was safe.

"My thoughts, exactly." Tsuna agreed, startling Lambo who hadn't realized he had spoken aloud. "I can't decide if humans are outrageously arrogant or incredibly stupid."

Lambo mulled it over as they calmly walked down a corridor. "Both." He confidently replied.

Tsuna chuckled, smiling. He opened his mouth to make another comment when he suddenly stiffened, letting out a gasp. His gaze snapped forward as he paused, tilting his head on the side and listening attentively. With a twitch of his fingers, he sent his orb of yellow flames away.

"Tsuna?" Lambo called out, curious and worried.

"Do you trust me, Lambo?"

He frowned but answered. "Yes. Why?"

Tsuna knelt in front of Lambo, eyes flickering briefly towards the green fire still hovering above the child's head. His expression was as conflicted as his thoughts. It was the frightened tight hold that Lambo had on his hand that convinced him.

"I'm not the only demon who has been summoned, Lambo." He bluntly admitted, wincing when he noticed the terror slipping into his eyes. " _However_ ," he emphasized the word, "I know him. He won't hurt me and he won't hurt you either. My flames show that you're under my protection. Nothing bad will happen to you."

Lambo very reluctantly nodded, wide-eyed and shaking. Tsuna smiled reassuringly at him, squeezing his hand. Standing up, he lightly pulled to encourage Lambo to move.

"I need to talk to him, Lambo." He carried on softly. "Stay close to me. If I enter a room, you do _not_ follow me." He pinned Lambo down with sharp glowing eyes. "This is very important. Unless you're attacked, do _not_ come into the room with me unless I say so."

"Okay." Lambo nodded again, worrying his lower lip.

"Everything's going to be fine, Lambo." Tsuna tried to soothe him, aware that he wasn't successful.

They turned right at the bifurcation and stopped in front of the second door. Lambo stared apprehensively at it, before he backed away at the demon's look. Tsuna waited for the child to be away enough before grasping the handle and opening the door with no hesitation whatsoever. As he stepped inside, closing behind him, darkness rushed to embrace him. If he had any doubts about Reborn's presence, they vanished instantly at the familiar hold. Tsuna wiggled his nose at the heady scent, coming from all of the lit perfumed candles scattered into the somber room, probably some sort of aphrodisiac. The dim light was barely enough to show the mountains of cushions thrown haphazardly all around. He half-expected to see writhing bodies on them, lost in lust.

A low voice purred his name, bringing his attention at the center of the room. Reborn fell silent as their eyes met, an emotion that Tsuna failed to recognize crossing these dark and drawing orbs.

"Did you come to join us?" The Sin teased him, circling around the already entranced and only human of the room.

Tsuna cocked his head to the side, realizing that it was one of Reborn's methods to deflect any unease he might feel. He cast it aside, clearly not in the mood to reflect on it. Smiling coldly, he approached his lover with a predatory grace that he rarely displayed. His yellow flames shrunk to a will-o'-the-wisp's size, floating above the human. Reborn paused, appraising the Elemental in front of him. He had already noticed that Tsuna was furious, since the moment the scorching fire came through the wall to levitate near his left shoulder. It had distracted him from his enthralling the human, wondering on the cause behind. Being the powerful demon that he was, he had entranced the man and then waited for Tsuna.

"What has put you in this rage?" He asked as he let Tsuna trail his fingers down his left arm as he brushed past the Sin, in an acknowledging and gentle gesture.

He turned around to observe his lover stop in front of the human, looking at the latter from head to toes with apparent distaste. His tail was slowly balancing, a lot like a cat ready to pounce.

"Just like you, I was summoned inside a room familiar to this one, but considerably weaker." He told Reborn, circling contemplatively the human. "To my amused surprise, I found that it was another child who had called me in. This child, Lambo, was lucky to have reached me. Judging by the seal set on the door, I know that his _father_ ," he spat out the word with scorn, "had expected his son to either fail or summon one of these lower-leveled demons who wouldn't have stopped to think and just devoured his soul."

Reborn didn't need Tsuna to continue, knowing of the absolute loath, bordering on hate, he had for the parents who abandoned their progenitures.

"I'm contemplating on my next move." The Elemental murmured as his fury slipped from his control, causing his wings to ignite into beautiful and deadly crimson flames.

Unfazed, Reborn approached him to tug him away from the human whose skin had started to redden with blisters appearing from the sheer heat radiating from Tsuna. He couldn't care less about the man's pain but it would be easier to keep him under enthrallment. He cupped Tsuna's face in his hands and lifted his head up to meet his sunset eyes, cold darkness wrapping around them and blocking the despicable human from view.

"There are rules to follow, little one."

"You are not Contracted with him." Tsuna pointed out triumphantly. "You haven't placed him under your protection, nor does he belong to you in any way."

"He has offered his soul to me, no matter how unwittingly it was." Reborn patiently explained. At his lover's dimming flames, he couldn't resist to add. "Besides, if you let me deal with his punishment, you can take care of the others. After all, I can feel in his mind that it was humans who had whispered sweet temptation of power in his ears and heart."

Tsuna instantly brightened up, an eager and unnerving grin stretching his lips. In his enthusiasm, he wrapped his arms around Reborn's neck as with his tail went around his waist. His wings shivered as he consciously stopped himself from cocooning the Sin with them, wisely preventing them from accidentally harming Reborn.

"You'll do that?" He whispered with a hopeful look.

Reborn shrugged and smirked as his hands left their previous place to settle on Tsuna's hips. "Sure, I was planning to eat his soul anyway."

"Thank you, Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed in genuine delight.

Standing on his tiptoes, he gave the Sin a chaste kiss on his cheek, suppressing a shiver as he brushed one of the curls. Reborn accepted it with an arched eyebrow until he noticed the mischievous look Tsuna send him as he wriggled out of his hold. Any other time, Reborn would have purred in delighted impatience at the promise in these glowing eyes. Instead, he trapped his lover once again in his arms, paying no mind to the now softly glowing wings, and buried his face in the startled Elemental's neck.

"Reborn?" One of Tsuna's hands automatically reached to let his fingers caress the dark strands soothingly.

"It's time to introduce you properly to my fellow Sins, Tsuna."

The demon stiffened, eyes widening in shock.

"Y-you mean, as…" He stuttered, nervous and tense.

"As my inamorato, my Chosen." Reborn quietly finished in his stead. He could sense Tsuna's distress, overwhelmed by the declaration, frightened by the perspective, apprehensive about meeting formally the Sins. "You already know some of them." He added to soothe the smaller demon, his hold turning more comforting.

"Yes, but I was only your student!" Tsuna protested, his fingers resuming his carding more for his own sake than for the Sin's. "Besides, you're the Sin of _Lust_. Nothing like this has ever happened."

Reborn was starting to get slightly annoyed by Tsuna's resistance. Pulling away briefly, he spun the other around, getting a surprised squeak from the Elemental. He grabbed his lover's chin firmly to lift his head up and force their eyes to meet.

"When I started to tutor you, I stated that, aside from the Queen, I was the strongest demon out there, correct?"

Tsuna made a sound that could be of assent or surprise.

"I remember that I distinctly said that nothing, _nothing,_ was impossible for me." Reborn carried on, taking it for the former. "If I were to declare that I would have a single Chosen, then I would be the first of my Sin to do so." He released Tsuna's chin to stroke his cheek. "You know that I only spoke of the truth."

"I…" Tsuna faltered, at a loss of words.

"You're my Chosen." Reborn repeated, voice strong and unwavering. "Nothing will change that. Not preconceptions and no one else."

And Tsuna closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the torrent of emotions rushing through him, as he nodded his comprehension and assent. When he reopened them, his sunset eyes had taken on a softer and tender hue.

"Alright." He sighed as he felt his tension drain away, melting into Reborn's embrace. "I'll join you as soon as I can then."

"Don't worry, I'm giving you plenty of time to have some fun." The Sin smirked down at his lover who mirrored his expression. "Now, go take care of your Summoner before I decide that I would rather keep you there to show you how I intend to destroy this pathetic human."

Tsuna chuckled and after a last chaste kiss on Reborn's lips, he stepped away. Opening the door, he left the cold darkness plunged the entire room in abyss – save for his sinister yellow will-o'-the-wisp floating near his sadistic beloved – and closed behind him, sealing the soon-to-be horror inside. With a wide smile on his lips, he returned to the scared Lambo. He offered the child his hand, absently ordering his flames to warm up the air around them.

"Come, Lambo, your family is waiting for you."

* * *

 **A/N:** * _throws elements to develop_ * If anything, it should encourage me to write more, right?

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to point out any mistakes! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~


	6. Bonus 2

Calling Out – Bonus 2

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Swearing.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Humor/Romance

 **Characters/Pairing:** Tsuna, Adult!Reborn, Adult!Arcobaleno, Giotto. R27. Implied!CoLal

 **Summary:** Tsuna meets the Sins as Reborn's Chosen – which is the equivalent to a consort _or something_.

 **Timeline:** Follows Chapter 4 (with Lambo).

 **Answers to reviews:** First, thank you all for reviewing/following/favoriting. It's amazingly reassuring when an author receives an alert. It's like a high five with a "You're doing well, carry on" and a pat on the shoulder. So, my deepest thanks for all my readers out there. I'm deliriously happy that you like the story.

 _ **miki:**_ I haven't even thought about that but you're completely right * _amused_ *

 _ **CatunaCaty**_ and _**gojyo-lover20:**_ As per requested, here's the chapter about Tsuna being introduced to the other Sins. I also threw some elements of protective/possessive!Reborn in it. There's no obvious test _but_ …

 _ **Tanukichibi:**_ I might do one. I actually want to try writing a jealous!Reborn so I'll think of something.

 **A/N:** I had to write it twice because the chapter was escaping from me (namely, reaching over 8,000 words and going way too far for what it is supposed to be). That's exactly because of this that I'm quite unsure about this one.

Anyway, hope you'll enjoy nevertheless!

* * *

Tsuna paced in his room, hands ruffling his hair messily, tails whipping the air with a whistling but brief sound, wings still folded neatly against his back. He was so nervous he was getting nauseous at the mere thought of meeting the Sins which was absurd because he knew them. Well, not all of them exactly. He had yet to meet Greed, Envy, Pride and Gluttony. Wrath and Sloth had spent hours teasing him when he was still Reborn's student, suffering under his tutelage. He had at least three familiar presences. It wasn't as comforting as he wished it to be.

"It's going to be fine, Tsuna."

The Elemental started at the unexpected voice of his older brother, Giotto's voice. He turned to look at him with exasperated anxiety at him.

"No, no, it's _not_ going to be fine." He protested instantly. "We're talking about the _Sins_ , the most powerful group of the entire Hell. I'm going to be introduced as _Reborn's_ , that is to say, _Lust's only Chosen_."

Giotto nodded patiently, crossing his arms on his chest as he leant against a fire-made table.

"It has never happened before!" Tsuna insisted, stressing out the point to his brother who seemed to completely dismiss the importance of the fact. "Not only Lust has, for the first time, a Chosen, it is only one! Instead of, you know, _several_."

"It simply shows how much Reborn loves you." Giotto calmly pointed out, expression slightly pinched as he begrudgingly admitted the fact that the most terrifying and sadistic demon out there cared enough about his baby brother to take this big step.

He didn't like it, of course. However, as much as he had protested at the beginning, he had come to – relatively – understand it and accept it when he had witnessed how happy Tsuna was. He might not like the Sin, more likely dislike him strongly, his feelings were less important than his brother's. It had taken time, and numerous fights, for him to admit defeat but in the end, he had. He had then only watched over Tsuna to ensure that his brother was truly content with the Sin, ready to wage war against the demon – no matter how powerful Lust was – if he broke his baby brother's heart. Giotto hadn't thought that he would see the day that Reborn would formally claim Tsuna as his Chosen. It had unsettled him, sure, but to see Tsuna panicking over it in genuine concern was amusing to witness.

If anything, at his words, Tsuna got even more nervous. His pacing picked up as he flailed.

"I know and I love him too but what if it's not enough?" He asked, sick with worry. "What if the other Sins deem that I'm too pathetic for him or something? What if they scorn me because they fear that I'm weakening Reborn or – "

"You sound like a girlfriend stressing over meeting her boyfriend's parents." Giotto deadpanned, cutting his little brother's frantic ramble off.

Tsuna let out a protesting squeak, sending him an offended look. "I'm not his _girlfriend_." He instantly rectified, calming enough to glare at the older demon. "And it's way more important – "

Giotto sighed as he tuned out Tsuna's rambling, steadily getting worked up as his control over his flames slipped enough to make the table's composition instable enough that Giotto almost fell over. Straightening up, he hoped that no one noticed his clumsy movement to keep his balance. A snort coming from his left, slightly behind him, made him scowl. Without even turning around, he knew who had come, recognizing the presence and more importantly, the power.

Reborn barely acknowledged Giotto as he waltzed in the room, eyes alight with amusement staring at Tsuna who was still oblivious to his lover's appearance, random orbs of flames bursting into existence around him.

"Your minions are looking for you." The Sin informed Giotto with his usual lack of respect.

Giotto threw a glance at Tsuna, wondering if he shouldn't stay to try calm him down.

"I'll take care of Tsuna, don't worry." Reborn carried on, a smirk on his lips, knowing and slightly mocking eyes flickering at him.

Giotto huffed at him, glaring. "You better." He replied menacingly.

Reborn didn't even answer him, dismissing him without paying any heed to the threat. He walked to the still pacing younger Elemental, absently noting that Giotto had left the room, grumbling under his breath. Swiftly catching Tsuna's shoulders, the Sin stopped his lover from moving, startling him.

"Breathe." Reborn ordered him, dark eyes locked on glowing ones.

Tsuna obeyed, calquing the Sin's breathing pattern to settle down his own. He closed his eyes as he willed his flames to settle down, his little orbs vanishing and his room stabilizing. Reborn's hands trailed down in a light touch, reaching his waist. The younger demon let himself relax in the familiar hold, wondering how much the Sin had heard.

"Enough to know that you're being an idiot." Reborn replied, seemingly reading his mind as usual, making him smile sheepishly. The Sin smacked him on the head. "You're worrying too much. One, you already know most of them. And two, I don't care about what they think and you also shouldn't."

Tsuna huffed as he ruffled again his hair, glancing away. "Easy for you to say."

"Listen, Tsuna, I will say it only once." Reborn grabbed his chin firmly to lift his head up to meet his gaze. "When you were a wimp, I took you as my student because I saw great potential. After centuries of training, teaching and tutoring, after centuries of single-mindedly suffering me, breaking down my walls and worming your damn way into my soul, do you really _think_ that I would Choose you if I wasn't aware of just incredible you are?"

Flustered, Tsuna's wings fluttered as they started to shimmer. He wanted to hide his face in his hands but resisted the urge, knowing that he couldn't with the Sin trapping him. He therefore couldn't hide his rising blush, getting both utterly embarrassed and oddly flattered, as well as touched and weirdly aching.

Reborn had his insufferable smirk curling up his lips, reading his lover too well.

"I'm always right." He carried on, arrogant and matter-of-fact. "No matter what you may think of yourself, and especially not what others may believe, you are worthy of anything you may desire." He could sense that Tsuna was heating up, literally, his wings bursting into orangish thrumming flames as his emotions started to get the better of him. It was almost distracting him, slowly waking up his Sin. "It's not about power or strength but about your _soul_."

He paused then, eyes flicking over to the inviting lips. He couldn't help but lean forward slightly, stopping when his breath brushed over them.

"You will never be a good demon, Tsuna." He continued in a whisper. "You are much more than that. You have yet to see it but you will, given time. I know that and it's the reason why I can say that you are not weak. You are not my weakness and you will never be. On the contrary, you make me better in a way that I would have never fathomed."

Tsuna's tongue darted out to wet his lips in an unconscious move that locked Reborn's attention on them. His sunset eyes had darkened ever so subtly in both desire and affection, entranced by the Sin's words and gaze.

"Introducing you to my fellow Sins as my Chosen is only to follow etiquette." Reborn added as his hands released his lover's chin to sneak around his waist. "I couldn't care less about them."

His hold tightened almost painfully as he pressed Tsuna flushed against him with an assertive growl that made his voice dropped several octaves.

"Don't you dare listen to any of their words, congratulating or poisonous." He demanded, possessiveness coating his words. "Now that you're mine, I won't ever let you go, no matter what you say."

He sealed his promise-threat with a scorching kiss that was instantly reciprocated, Tsuna giving in without any hesitation. The younger demon melted into the embrace, willingly letting himself get swept by passion to forget his nerves and the incoming introduction, to just relish in the strength of the tanned arms around him, the stability of the firm chest pressed against his, the languorous tongue massaging his encouragingly and approvingly, the smoldering eyes pinning him on the spot with their heat and the fond softness that always smoothed Reborn's handsome features when he looked at him.

"Thanks, Reborn." Tsuna murmured as they broke away, tension draining completely from him. "I needed that."

Reborn shot him a _look_ , coupled with an arched eyebrow but he didn't comment, thankfully. His expression turned contemplative as he watched appraisingly his lover, making the latter feel slightly self-conscious. The Sin knew that he had successfully calmed down Tsuna, comforting him with words instead of actions as he would have done usually – aware that they wouldn't have been what his Elemental really needed – but Tsuna had a point. It would be better if the other Sins let them alone without pestering one or the other to break up or another similar idiocy because they had been unable to see the younger demon for who he was. As Reborn had stated, he didn't pay any mind to any of their opinions. On the long term, though, it would grow annoying. That, and no one hurt Tsuna in any shape, way or form. While murders among Sins weren't rare, it would be a pain for Reborn to deal with them. He had no doubt that he was the most powerful among them, but it would be foolish to take them on.

No, it was better to avoid any crisis.

"Here's what you're going to do, Tsuna." Reborn leant closer to whisper in Tsuna's attentive ear.

* * *

"Reborn convoked us but he's late to his own reunion?" Wrath scoffed as she crossed her arms on the sturdy table in front of her.

"He's probably gotten distracted." Sloth, beside her, suggested with a grin, winking at her and making Envy on his other side snicker. His head was leaning against a closed fist, an elbow propped on the hard surface. "With a Sin like his…"

"At least he doesn't fall asleep at the worst time possible, Colonnello." Wrath retorted dryly.

"Lal!" Sloth, or rather, Colonnello exclaimed in shocked embarrassment, sitting up. He narrowed blue eyes at her, also scowling. "That's completely wrong, as you very well know, kora."

"It's exactly the type of information I can live without." Gluttony commented in distaste, causing Envy to just laugh harder. "Please refrain from brushing such repulsive subjects."

"I'm busy enough as it is." Greed spoke up then, crossing their arms under their cloak. "I'm losing profits by being here. If Lust doesn't come quickly, this reunion will have to be held without me."

"Now, now, I'm sure that Reborn has a good reason for his lateness." Pride intervened calmly, hands folded in front of him. "Has he informed any of you on the reason behind this meeting?"

Envy shrugged, shaking his head, while Gluttony snorted at the question. Greed didn't answer, radiating impatience. Wrath and Sloth exchanged a glance, wordlessly sharing the same hypothesis.

"Since when did Reborn share anything with us, Fon?" Colonnello asked rhetorically. "He's as secretive as Viper, kora."

"Mammon." Greed corrected.

"Right. My bad, kora."

"What's up with that anyway?" Envy butted in, shooting a puzzled look at Mammon. It has been bugging him for a while. "You're Viper when you're Avarice and you're Mammon when you're Greed? Are you, like, two people in one?"

All the Sins looked at him blankly, making him squirm. What? Did he say something wrong again? That was just another reason as to why he had never asked. The doors behind him slowly creaked open, successfully drawing everyone's attention off him, to his relief. Just as usual, Reborn waltzed in as if he owned the place – he didn't, by the way, the room was only one of many inside what could be called a manor, belonging to none other than the _Queen of Hell_ – and smirked at them from beneath a fedora that he had, without any doubt, nicked from the human realm. Not that any of them could really talk, as they all adopted human clothes on a regular basis. Just as usual, he breathed predatory grace and smugness with a touch of arrogance that was enough to irritate everyone around him while terrifying them. He stopped barely a few steps inside, turning around to extend an inviting hand behind him. He only chuckled when his company huffed at him, approaching to almost reluctantly curl his smaller fingers around the offered ones. Reborn pulled him forward as he faced the Sins again, his smirk widening as he dropped the bomb, courteously mockingly.

"Lady and gentlemen, let me present you Tsunayoshi, my Chosen."

A deafening silence fell as every Sin's eyes snapped to the Elemental in absolute shock. They stared, speechless, at a very stiffly standing Tsuna.

His smoldering but bright amber-colored flames coated his leathery wings, giving them the appearance of two running lava flows, shivered, causing a few drops to hit the stony floor with a barely audible hiss. His gaze flicked down to his golden-colored veins mapping his pearly and gleaming skin as his right fingers traced them on his left arm. He was careful with his nails, ivory and sharp. It would be ridiculous to accidentally cut himself. He resisted the urge to ruffle his spiky brown hair, growing more and more nervous as the silence stretched. Three orbs of red, blue and purple, were levitating above each pointed ends of his agitated forked tail. A snake of green and indigo flames was wrapped loosely around his otherwise bare neck in the mockery of a necklace. It wasn't the only part of his body that was bare. Any shirt would have been reduced to ashes with his wings like this. Besides, he needed to be prudent with his body heat. He certainly did not wish to hurt Reborn. Without looking at any reflective surface, he knew that his eyes were the same shade as his wings, but even more vivid.

He felt self-conscious, rarely assuming this form that left his flames volatile and eager to consume any fool coming too close – except for his family-clan and Reborn. He had assumed this appearance at Reborn's insistence who had adopted a smug expression at the sight, calling him 'gorgeously dangerous' before his Sin had acted up, and all playfulness had disappeared.

(It was one of the reasons they had met the Sins later than they had planned.)

Wrath and Sloth were the first to get their composure back, pleased to see that their suspicion was right. It was, however, Envy that reacted first.

"The _fuck_?" He exclaimed ungracefully, gaping at the pair. "You have a Chosen? _You?_ "

Reborn's arm sneaked around Tsuna's waist, expertly avoiding both wings and tails, as he lazily walked forward.

"Problem?" He shot back with a glare, watching Skull sitting back with hunched shoulders. "No? Then shut up."

Tsuna closed his eyes briefly, inwardly moaning over the fact that his lover was already picking a fight, letting himself be dragged towards the table. Reborn sat in his usual seat, beside a pensive Pride and a calculative Greed. Instead of fetching another chair or letting him conjure one, Reborn swiftly lifted him up to pull him in his lap. Tsuna squeaked in surprise, frantically toning down his flames and folding his wings as closely and as neatly as possible against his back. He twisted his head around to scowl in annoyance. Reborn paid him no mind, putting his chin on his left shoulder and wrapping more comfortably his arms around his anxious lover.

"Relax." He whispered, nuzzling his neck briefly.

"You're too reckless." Tsuna murmured back, still tense. "My flames aren't stable like this."

Reborn simply chuckled and tightened his hold in both mocking defiance and comforting faith. The Elemental huffed and turned around to face the table, quickly regretting it when he realized that they were the center of the attention. He instantly looked at the two familiar faces of Lal and Colonnello.

"You've taken your time, Reborn." Lal teased his fellow Skin. "I've expected this claim a century ago, at the very least."

Reborn scoffed. "You're hardly in any position to comment, Lal. I easily remember that you've been running away from your Chosen due to some misplaced co – "

"Anyway," Colonnello loudly broke in, eyeing Lal's livid expression with cautious worry but speaking to Tsuna, "what's with the look, kora? Last time I've seen you, you were quite normal."

Tsuna shrugged, uneasy with the question. "Well, as you know, my father is a pure fire Elemental while my mother is a Succubus. Instead of becoming one or the other, I was born as a weird mix of the two. My original form is consequently humanoid but less seductive and more, err, fire-inclined. Just like my brother, actually."

"This is interesting." Gluttony commented out of the blue, his natural but unnerving curiosity exciting his Sin. "Considering that Elementals can feed off their corresponding element, namely fire in your potential case, and that Succubus suck out vital energy and finally the soul of their preys, how to you feed? Is it one or the other? Possibly both?"

Tsuna turned his head to face the Sin firing off questions after question, a little bit thrown by the sudden onslaught. "No, I – "He paused, blinking, and did a double-take as his eyes widened in recognition. " _Verde?_ "

"Yes, hello." Gluttony waved him off. "Answer the questions."

Reborn straightened up, glancing between the two demons. He arched an eyebrow. "You know each other."

"Actually, Reborn, I have also already met your Chosen." Pride spoke up quietly, smiling serenely. "I went to Tsunayoshi to ask him for a favor."

Reborn's eyes narrowed as he leant closer with his arms still around Tsuna's waist, purposefully or inadvertently pressing his chest against his younger lover's back who squirmed and vanished the flames on his wings by precaution. He tilted his head on the side, avoiding the hat, and shared a look with Colonnello.

"What kind of favor?"

"Nothing special, Reborn." Tsuna hastily replied, seeking to avoid a confrontation. "Fon, I mean, Pride and Gluttony had apparently heard of Namimori. Since they can't really protect their humans as well as they wish, being Sins and all, they asked if they could leave them in my care."

"Namimori?" Envy whispered to Colonnello inquisitively, taking great care to not be heard by Lust. "What's this?"

"And you haven't thought of telling me that you already knew Fon and Verde?" Reborn switched targets with an arched eyebrow. "Why were you so nervous in this case?"

"I – I didn't know that they were Pride and Gluttony!" Tsuna spluttered, instantly justifying himself. "They never said they were Sins! They were just seeking protection for their humans!"

"Namimori is a human town that served as a sanctuary for the souls claimed by demons." Greed informed Envy. "It is under a young but respected Elemental's protection, called Tsunayoshi, whose brother is the Head of the Inferno Clan. You would have known that if you were paying any attention to rumors." They added bluntly. "You owe me a human soul for this information. The price goes up if you want to know more."

"I would appreciate if I could receive the answers to my enquiry, Tsunayoshi." Verde butted in the conversation, voice deepening in annoyance.

"I thought that I made clear that you shouldn't trust random demons." Reborn ignored his fellow Sin. "It seems that you still need some tutoring, Dame-Tsuna."

"I'm not going to pay you anything!" Skull exclaimed in indignation. "I asked Colonnello, not you, Viper."

"Mammon." Greed corrected irritably. "Doesn't matter. I've answered, you pay."

"You know perfectly well that my instincts always warn me when I'm about to do something dangerous or stupid." Tsuna argued over the verbal fight going on beside him, scowling and rubbing his temple to vainly soothe a nicely building headache. "I knew what I was doing. Besides, I already told you that I hate it when you called me that."

"Now, now, Reborn, no need to be so harsh." Fon interfered calmly. "I came to him with no evil intention and no harm was done. I simply needed to ensure a young soul's safety from human assassins."

"Cut it out, you two." Lal harshly ordered Skull and Mammon who looked ready to switch from their words to their fists. "Just pay the damn bill, Envy. It's not as if it was difficult for you to get a soul."

"Wait, you're telling me that you were freaking out over meeting us, kora?" Colonnello suddenly laughed as he slumped on his chair. "You're dealing with Reborn and your crazy clan on a daily basis, and you _freaked out_ over a Sin meeting, kora?"

" _Tsunayoshi – "_

"Will you all just shut up for a minute?" Tsuna snapped, utterly done with the chaotic discussion, feeling his migraine settle behind his eyes, oddly reminded of his anarchic family's meetings that usually ended in a brawl.

With impressive reflexes, Reborn leant back and unwrapped his arms in a flash as his Chosen's wings abruptly flared up, resuming their lava appearance, as Tsuna opened them up intimidatingly. His pearly skin turned translucent as his veins burned, golden rivers tracing a complex map on his body, and amber-colored eyes blazed suddenly. His heat rose to an almost unbearable level, turning the air around them suffocating. The three orbs levitating near his tail shot up to gravitate above his head, tripling in size and pulsing menacingly. His snake of fire hissed at the table, seemingly floating by itself.

The Sins fell instantly silent, eyeing him with more or less obvious caution. Reborn smirked, smug and insufferably pleased, aware that Tsuna would have ended by snapping at some point. It was worth suffering through the sheer intensity that the Elemental exuded, bearing it stoically even as drops of lava brushed his limbs.

"Yes, I can feed either like a Succubus or an Elemental, but I favored the latter." Tsuna icily replied Verde's questions. "Yes, I was terribly nervous before coming here, Colonnello. I doubt that you were any better when you had to introduce Lal, knowing that she had been a Sin for longer than you were, as your Chosen to your own clan." His unnerving eyes snapped at Greed and Envy who cringed at the glare they thought they were receiving. "Would you please act as the mature and wise Sins you're supposed to be?" He then turned to Reborn, his body twisting with an impossible flexibility. "No, they didn't introduce themselves as the Sins, probably suspecting that their position would either scare me away or incite me to try to blackmail them. I didn't tell you because I didn't think that it was important."

Another pause followed his words as he huffed and crossed his arms, the temperature slowly cooling down. Still irked, he pinned both Pride and Gluttony with an exasperated and disapproving glare.

"By the way, you're both visiting your humans tomorrow."

"Pardon me?" Fon jerked out of his impressed shock. "Are you giving me an order?"

"Absolutely." Tsuna insisted. "I-pin misses you. She is less enthusiastic. She has grown melancholic, staring morosely through the window. She barely eats. She barely plays and when she does, it's only because one of mine, Lambo, doesn't give her a choice. She has nightmares and the night terrors from the life she had led before you saved her. The only time she has managed to get any restful sleep was when I came." He narrowed his eyes. "You're never here for her. How can you consider her as your own if you abandon her in my territory?"

Fon pursued his lips and glanced away, silent admission that the accusation hurt more than he would admit. Verde smirked at the reproach. As if sensing it, Tsuna instantly turned to him.

"You're no better." He informed him with the exact same tone. "You dropped Spanner and Shouichi on my doorway and promptly vanished for, at least, three human years? That's awfully long for humans. When I went to see them, they had the distinct impression that you didn't care about them, that you didn't find their ideas interesting anymore, that they weren't worth your attention. Are you even aware of what they have invented and developed? It's amazing, truly."

"Really?" Gluttony instantly perked up, a feverish gleam entering his eyes as his Sin awoke his thirst of knowledge. "Did you see these new creations? What are they? What did they do?"

Tsuna shot him an unimpressed look, his wings folded neatly on his back and flames extinguishing. It was the only element that calmed down however, allowing Reborn to wrap his arms around him again.

"If you want to know, you'll have to go see it yourself."

Reborn openly grinned at that, staring down at Verde with obvious amusement at hearing his Chosen deny the satisfaction of Gluttony's Sin.

"They're not even my own but I'm the one they turned to when they need something." Tsuna added sharply, watching how Verde's fingers twitched. The other Sins watched him carefully, tensing in anticipation. "I'm the one they shared their ideas and hypothesis, never mind that I can't even understand any of their equations. I'm the one they confide in and share their secrets with." Raising his chin, the Elemental managed to somehow look down at Gluttony. "I know things that you don't and never will, only because _you aren't there_. How does that make you feel?"

Verde growled at him, jealousy and possessiveness darkening his reptilian eyes. It eerily reminded Tsuna of Reborn when the demon was on the verge of striking – or killing – the unfortunate soul who had thought that the Elemental wasn't already claimed. It had the successful effect on cooling him down suddenly and he widened his eyes at the hostility. There was an answering growl from Reborn as the demon tightened protectively his arms around Tsuna who had flinched back. His dark eyes gleamed with malevolence as he glared menacingly and raised his own inky black wings stretched wide in intimidation.

"Truth stings sharper than any hurtful lie." Reborn sneered as darkness coiled around him. "Tsuna's right and you know it. Stop being an irresponsible idiot and admit it already. It's unbecoming of you, _Verde_."

"Indeed." Fon hastily agreed to placate the two demons ready to leap at each other's throats, though it physically pained him to recognize that he was in the wrong, especially to a demon who was so clearly younger than him. "Tsunayoshi has a point. I will go to I-pin as soon as this meeting ends."

Tsuna shrunk on Reborn's chest, glancing at him. He gently laced their fingers together and sent his fiery snake to wrap comfortingly around his Chosen in a loose embrace. Reborn didn't relax, keeping an intent and warning glare at Gluttony, but accepted the affection. While he was aware that the Elemental was trying to calm him down and/or restrain him if he decided to fight, he didn't mind. Instead, he shifted to wrap his left wing around Tsuna and grinning, showing his pointed teeth predatorily and refraining from snarling outright.

Verde abruptly glanced away to stare at Pride and sighed in frustration. "Very well." He conceded with obvious reluctance. "I shall do as you advise."

Tsuna appraised them wordlessly for several seconds, his glowing eyes seemingly piercing straight to their bare souls, trapped in Reborn's safe and bordering on painful embrace. The two Sins blinked uneasily at the impression. It was usually only the Queen who managed to unsettle them as so. It also reminded them that the first time they had approached him, he had given them the exact same look before nodding with a hesitant smile and offering a free pass to his territory for them and protection for their humans. How could they had forgotten?

"Good." Tsuna beamed at them, relaxing completely, his orbs returning to their original size and spot, his skin coloring back to its pearly white with streaks of gold. "They'll be happy to see you again. You also have a lot of catch up to do."

"You've got guts." Skull commented once it was obvious that both Reborn and Verde had calmed down enough to not blow up. "No one would dare baiting a Sin like this."

Colonnello was sprawled on the table, yawning. Lal was idly carding her fingers in his blond hair. It was obviously a usual sight as everyone ignored them.

"It was an impressive sight to see you scold four Sins fearlessly." She agreed with a smirk, amused and exasperated. "We also got to see you assume a form that you rarely show, used to downplay your abilities. Are you satisfied, Reborn? Everything went exactly as you've wanted. No matter our initial doubts, seeing you interacting with Tsuna is proof enough of your bond."

"Anyone able to put up with you without snapping is worthy of our approval, kora." Colonnello added dryly. "Seeing you following etiquette only for Tsuna's benefit is quite the sight. After all, you don't give a fucking damn about our opinion, right, kora?"

"Of course not." Reborn snorted as he wrapped his second wing around them, trapping them both under his appendages. "I couldn't care less about getting your approbation."

Fon quietly chuckled.

"If that was the only reason of the meeting, I'm leaving then." Greed bluntly announced, inching to go back to whatever it was they did. "While Tsunayoshi has a low rank, his clan is infamous for their propensity to cause havoc because of their power and strong convictions, as well as their high ranks. Having his family on our side is definitely at our advantage. As an individual, Tsunayoshi can probably annihilate most of our enemies so he's not a liability. Unless he does something incredibly stupid that damages our reputation and profit, I don't care." They resumed, standing up. "Now, I'm leaving. Don't bother calling me again if it's for another fickle matter. I'll charge you for making me lose my time."

The doors closed behind them, leaving Tsuna to stare blankly at them. The other Sins were mostly amused at his reaction, used to Mammon's personality. Colonnello was on the brink of falling asleep, his Sin causing him to succumb to sleep at random times. Verde and Fon shared a look, wordlessly agreeing that they would visit their humans together.

"By the way, Tsuna, you've got our approval or whatever," Skull spoke up pensively, "but did you tell your family?"

"Well, Giotto, my big brother, knows of course…" He trailed off as he suddenly paled. He hid his face with his free hand, groaning. "I completely forgot to tell the others. Giotto wouldn't have said anything, of course. He probably wants me to do it."

Tsuna thought of his family, of the overprotective demons who saw themselves as the Elemental's brothers and who had, each at one point, blasted to oblivion any souls who had tried to hurt him. He thought back of the day he had informed then that Reborn was his lover. Thankfully, the Sin hadn't been there at the time. Tsuna had no doubt that the discussion would have escalated into a fight.

In fact, considering that Reborn was going to be there this time, the announce would inevitably turn into a bloodbath.

"We should elope." He blankly said, his mind refusing to even imagine the scenario of informing the clan of his change of status, never mind that Giotto already knew. "It's the safest and most reasonable way to deal with this."

It startled a laugh out of Skull. Reborn snorted and buried his nose in the brown locks, his lover's heat lulling him into relaxation.

"Don't be ridiculous, Tsuna." He murmured. "Everything's going to be fine."

"No, it's going to end into a full-blown fight where you'll single-handedly defeat everybody and they'll resent you." Tsuna disagreed. "That or they'll hate you for, I quote, 'taking away their precious baby brother to corrupt him'."

Colonnello's drowsy laugh joined Skull's one as Lal raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's what they said when I first told them about Reborn and I." Tsuna instantly clarified. "I can't see it end well."

"Now that I think about it," Fon mused, "the Queen will want to know too. After all, she's quite closed to us and she absolutely loves to hear stories like yours."

"Indeed." Verde agreed quietly as both of them stood up, getting ready to leave for the human realm.

Tsuna didn't even react to their departure, staring in horror at the four remaining Sins. He squirmed in Reborn's hold.

"That's it." He decisively nodded his head. "We're eloping."

"Calm down, Tsuna." Reborn nuzzled his neck in another rare comfortable gesture. "There is no need to flee. There is no hurry to properly announce anything either. Besides, I talked with Giotto several days ago about you being my Chosen and me being yours. He accepted to side with us, whether it is verbally or during the following fight."

"Oh." He slumped back against his chest. "Well, it's still going to be awful." He warned his Chosen who simply smirked at him before stealing a kiss.

"It doesn't matter." Reborn whispered against Tsuna's lips, beginning to grow bored with the subject and ready to move on.

He pulled away from his flustered lover, unbelievably shy when people were around them. In a fluid movement, he scooped up Tsuna in his arms and stretched his wings out. The Elemental yelped and wrapped his arms around the Sin's neck and his legs around the waist, his own wings flapping to adjust his balance. Reborn didn't bother to verbally salute the Sins, only nodding at them, noting that Colonnello was completely out. Tsuna rolled his eyes at Reborn, used to his antics.

"It was nice meeting you…"

"Skull." Envy put in, grinning at the embarrassed flush that rose in the other's cheeks. "It was fun, yeah."

Reborn huffed and without any warning, flapped his wings, generating a powerful gust of wind that ruffled everyone's hair. Taking the hint, Tsuna settled for a wave for Lal who returned it soberly, already debating over waking up Colonnello or letting him sleep there. Without adding another word, Reborn went to the nearest window – already open – and took off.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah, a snake. I already have an idea for what/who is Natsu in this universe. He might show up.

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to point out any mistake! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~


	7. Chapter 5

Calling Out – Chapter 5

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Mention of euthanasia (in a favoring light from one character and indifference for the other, so it might clash with some readers' opinions. It is, in some countries, quite the heated debate). Don't worry, no one's dying or dead.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Hurt/Comfort, Humor, (Crime).

 **Characters/Pairing:** Tsuna, Lampo, Nagi/Chrome, Knuckle, Daemon, Mukuro. R27. Implied!DaeEle.

 **Summary:** Tsuna shares a talk with Lampo before getting summoned by a desperate Chrome to find her son, Mukuro, who has been kidnapped.

 **Timeline:** Follows Chapter 4 (with Lambo) and Bonus 2.

 **A/N:** Yep, Chrome is a mother. Mukuro's mother.

Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

Tsuna stretched out, arms raised over his head, tail beating the air with excitement, legs briefly tensing in anticipation and wings opening widely. He let out a content sigh at the feeling of the wind brushing his appendages, flexing them a few times. He could feel his blood rushing in his veins as a grin split his face in two. He had yet to take off to the sky but he could already sense his exhilaration at the mere thought of going off and flying until the cold of the height succeeded in lowering his body heat to a drastic point. Being a being of fire, it guaranteed him hours and hours and hours of free aerial acrobatics, alone and unreachable. After all, no one had yet to catch up when he was up there, not even Reborn.

The sky was his empire, his safe haven in every way, and nothing would change that.

Licking his lips, he closed his eyes and flames burst to coat his leathery wings in a bright amber. His brother had told him once that, for the demons looking up at him from the ground, he was like a falling star, crossing the ink of the sky with unthinkable speed and leaving only a fiery trail behind him, much like stardust. Tsuna had blushed in mortification, called him a sap and promptly fled to escape from his embarrassment. The fact that Giotto had said it in the middle of a clan reunion, inciting numerous and similar compliments from everyone, hadn't helped any.

A gust of wind filled his wings, snapping him out of his thoughts. Tsuna let out a gleeful chuckle at the sensation, ruffled hair sticking out in every direction. Folding them briefly against his back, he walked calmly towards the edge of the blustery cliff. As his muscles relaxed to let him fall into the void, adrenaline already pumping into his veins, a clumsy landing behind stopped him. Standing in precarious balance over the edge, he sighed as he suspected that his fun was probably going to be interrupted. His eyes stared at the horizon as he kept his back to the newcomer.

"What is it?"

"Yo, Stardust." A lazy voice greeted him, using his apparently official nickname since this meeting, and managing to sound unfazed despite their ungraceful flight.

"Did you get the shorter straw, Lampo?" Tsuna asked dryly.

"I volunteered." His brother's friend corrected as he approached. "I figured that you would rather deal with me than with, let's say, Daemon."

"You've got a point." Tsuna admitted with a wince. "What does the family want now?"

"No clue."

Tsuna turned to face him, eyebrows raised in mild surprise.

"Giotto simply said that you had an important announce to make, so we should all gather. Of course, he told us that out of the blue so half of us aren't even here. For example, Alaude is out for patrol and I have no idea where Daemon is hiding. Oh, and G just got summoned." Lampo explained with distinct amusement.

"Without mentioning that I'm not even there, even though I'm the one supposed to break important news to you all." Tsuna added, sharing the mirth. "That's just so typical of my brother that I'm not surprised."

Lampo glanced at him contemplatively. He followed the other's gaze, staring into space. Contrary to Tsuna, he was standing back, a bit away from the edge. While he wasn't a horrible flyer, he wasn't confident that he could dominate the wild winds blowing around them without sustaining a few injuries. He wasn't in any hurry to test his suspicion. His wings were flat against his back, not willing to take any risks.

"This is about Lust, isn't it?"

Tsuna stiffened. "Yeah." He confirmed quietly. "Who else?"

"The family's going to know, inevitably." Lampo bluntly reminded him, eyeing him carefully. "It is, after all, one of the most important commitments that demons can do."

"Of course, you know." Tsuna sighed as he smiled wryly at him. "How could I even think that I could hide something like that to you?"

"One of the perks of being a Seer." Lampo smirked. "Life-changing secrets are always uncovered."

Tsuna paused, suddenly worried. "Will it affect the clan so deeply?"

"Even if it were the case, would you renounce to him?"

"I – " Tsuna trailed off as he glanced away, fixing his gaze back on the horizon, shifting to keep his balance as another gust of wind struck them.

Flying was far from his mind right now. He thought of Reborn – their meeting, the tutoring, the quiet meetings, the companionship, how they had both changed each other, how they had learnt from each other, how their lives had lightened up suddenly, even before they realized that they had fallen hard for the other – and Tsuna knew his answer. He gave a shaky smile at Lampo.

"No…" He whispered with absolute certitude. "No, I wouldn't." Dry humor entered in his eyes. "Not that I would be able to, anyway. Reborn had made it clear that I was trapped."

"Till death do us apart, huh?" Lampo snorted. "That's how the humans put it."

"Isn't it so romantic?" Tsuna played along, wry and eager to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah, right." The older Elemental agreed with a laugh. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Everything's going to be fine."

Tsuna glanced at Lampo's closed eye, recalling that it was through it that he had vision of the future. He relaxed at the words, believing in his brother's friend. He didn't need his intuition to confirm that it was no lie. The family wasn't the kind to hide the truth on important matters. Not only was it useless with two living lies detectors but they needed trust and unity to preserve their peaceful days.

"Ah, I almost feel guilty for coming here." Lampo spoke up, getting Tsuna's attention back on him. "Everyone knows how much you love flying, Stardust. I wanted to catch you before it happens though and I figured that you wouldn't appreciate the Veil taking you out of the sky."

"Wha – "

Tsuna's question was abruptly cut off as the familiar pull of a summon latched into him, the teleporting Veil already wrapping around him. He barely had the time to send an annoyed look at a knowing and smirking Lampo before darkness enveloped him completely. Remembering that his wings were still flamboyantly burning, he vanished the flames and huffed as he ruffled his hair. He hoped that he would be able to quickly convince the human to give up any idea about Contracting with him and simply freeing him to let him go back home.

The shadow Veil abandoned him in a brightly lit room with a multitude of candles everywhere, sunlight poring through some windows. To his surprise, he was standing on a sturdy oak table where the pentagram had been traced. He suppressed a grimace. The restriction of movements was oppressive on such a small surface. He detailed the branches and sniffed discreetly, realizing that it was chicken blood that was used to trace the pentagram, clashing with the lavender-scented candles holding him prisoner inside. There was the distinct scent of human blood – the price – but as he looked at the mortal who had summoned him, he knew that his summoner hadn't paid it.

His summoner was a delicate-looking woman with long violet hair and determined amethyst-colored eyes. She had no trace of wounds. In her hands, she held firmly a candle which was burning with one of his flames. She paid no mind to the wax dripping on her fingers, watching him carefully. She stood near the door, inside a circle she had made with salt. Taking another quick look around, Tsuna noted that his summoning pentagram was also circled with salt. Sunlight was warming up the room, falling on his form. It didn't take him long to spot the silver dagger hidden beneath her jacket.

She was cautious, that much was true. She had used willingly-given human blood to summon a demon inside a very restraining pentagram, while ensuring that sunlight was pouring over whatever was coming, ready to burn to ashes those vulnerable to it. Honestly, the salt wouldn't help her against him. As an Elemental, he was too powerful for this sort of protection. However, the sharp and glinting silver would hurt.

In the end, it didn't matter. She knew a bit about demons but not enough to be a threat.

"Hello." Tsuna greeted politely, inwardly sighing because it was obvious that he wasn't going to get back to Hell any soon. "I'm Tsuna."

"Nagi." She replied smoothly with a soft voice that was everything but weak. There was concealed steel in it, something to be wary of.

 _Lies._ Tsuna didn't react as he recognized a false name. He wondered why she bothered with it. Contracts didn't use names, but souls. Giving your birth name, a nickname or an alias wouldn't change anything. Besides, she hadn't even used her own blood to summon him. Tsuna wasn't sure if he could make a Contract with her, considering that they had nothing to form a spiritual bond.

"Alright." He accepted nevertheless. "Nice to meet you. However, I'm afraid you've picked up the wrong demon. I'm not interested in souls so…"

Nagi pursued her lips at this, mildly surprising Tsuna. Usually, humans were quite relieved to learn that he wasn't interested in them. They tended to regret the summons so getting a free-pass was always gratefully accepted. There were only the desperate and the frankly disturbing ones who argued with him. Now, it was the matter of discovering if she was the former or the latter. She glanced down at her candle with calculative eyes.

"If you do not want my soul, then, what can I give you instead?"

Tsuna sent her a sharp look, causing her to stiffen in stubborn defiance.

"What is it that you wish so desperately that you are ready to give up both your life and your soul for?"

"My son."

He hadn't expected that. He abruptly dropped on the table, sitting cross-legged. Frowning deeply, he carefully observed her. On any other day, she would have been stunning. However, the sleepless night and the worry had given her gaunt features with dark rings under her eyes and a livid skin. Her hair was dull and unhealthy. She looked ill but she stood inflexible on her feet, gaze desperate and resolute, tenacity set on her face. No words would deter her from her goal.

Tsuna decided instantly to help her. He always had a soft spot for devoted parents, especially mothers, after all. Besides, he hated the thought that her son – if he was still alive – was held prisoner somewhere, terrified and crying for his mother.

"Tell me everything." Tsuna ordered Nagi as he focused all of his attention on her.

"Will you help me?" She checked first.

"Yes, and I will do so freely. I promise." He added, aiming to convince her. "What happened?"

"My son, Mukuro, was kidnapped two days ago." Nagi started to explain quietly, still giving him an odd look. "I didn't go to the police because I knew they wouldn't be able to do anything." She seemed to steel herself to finish. "My son has been abducted by one of yours, a demon."

If that was the case, how was she still alive? Wouldn't a demon deal with her? Besides, why kidnap a human child? Mortals weren't known to survive very long in Hell without a Contract to anchor them. It had only been two days so there was a high chance that Mukuro was still alive – granted that the demon in question hadn't done anything harmful to him. What was the point though?

"What kind of demon?" Tsuna asked. "Were they like me, for example?"

For a split-second, Nagi seemed surprised that Tsuna believed her. She quickly composed herself.

"It had the appearance of a man, older than you." She described, remembering perfectly well. "His hair was long and styled like a pineapple, his shade lighter than mine. His eyes are a disturbing blue. His military jacket, gloves and boots were white, while his shirt and pants were black."

Tsuna's face had blanked when he had heard about the 'pineapple' hair.

"Let me guess, he introduced himself as Daemon Spade and laughed creepily." He deadpanned.

"Yes, do you know him?" Nagi didn't know if she should be glad or not. It seemed too easy.

"Unfortunately." Tsuna confirmed with a groan, burying his face into his hands. "So, that was what he was doing when he disappeared. I can't believe him." He sighed in annoyance, his wings shivering as he resisted the urge to flex them. "Well, at least, it wouldn't be hard to get Mukuro back to you."

"I'm going with you."

Tsuna shot her an incredulous look. He shook his head and waved his hands in denial.

"No way." He flat out refused. "Hell is not a place for mortals. You're going to get yourself killed."

"I'll be under your protection, won't I?" She argued, crossing her arms on her chest. "It also will be easier for us to persuade Mukuro to come with us if I'm with you."

"I don't need his cooperation." Tsuna pointed out, his tail beating the air. "No matter how sly he is, a human child is not faster than a demon."

Nagi switched tactic. "That supposes that you won't have any problem dealing with this Daemon. Even if you win whatever fight you might have, my son won't stay anywhere near you, afraid that you'll just try to hurt him. With me being here, I can take care of him while you focus on Daemon."

"I don't need to fight him." Tsuna fired back, looking amused. "Daemon is part of the same clan as I am. He won't dare go against me."

She looked sceptic, staring him up and down. "I would still rather come with you." She said instead of voicing her doubts.

"Listen, Nagi, the moment you free me from the pentagram, I'll go back to Hell." Tsuna stated calmly. "I'll bring your son back to you. You only need to stay here – "

"I can't." She blurted out, wincing.

He paused. "Why?"

"The police are looking for me." She admitted. "I don't have a lot of time before they found this place. If you don't take me with you, you won't be able to meet me again."

"Why?" He repeated.

"Because I am in favor of offering an honoring death to men and women who are agonizing on their hospital beds, victims of their relatives' selfishness and of the absurdity of the law." She practically spat with venomous disdain. "I am – was a nurse, treating patients who were condemned." She added at Tsuna's clueless look. "I believe that it is the patient who should decide when and how they wish to die, instead of hanging on in sheer agony until death was merciful enough to pick them up."

"And this is forbidden by your laws?" The Elemental enquired in puzzlement.

"In this country, yes." Nagi nodded, her hands clenching around the candle. "If I'm caught, I'll be charged with murder. Mukuro will be taken away from me and I won't be able to see him again."

She pinned Tsuna down with wide pleading eyes, desperate and unyielding, as she concluded.

"My son is everything for me. I will do everything for him. Selling my soul to the devil to get him back safely? So be it. Even if I'm gone, he'll be alive and safe, with his future ahead of him. That's all that matters."

"No need to go to this length, Nagi." Tsuna smiled reassuringly at her. He sighed then, ruffling his hair. "Fine." He ceded. "I'll take you with me but you have to promise me that you will obey me, without any questions. It's the only way to save the both of you."

She took a deep breath, returning his smile with one of her own, soft and grateful, before she raised her arms in front of her lips and blew out the dancing flame. Tsuna extended a hand that she took without any hesitation, stepping out of her circle and letting the candle crash to the floor carelessly. As the shadow Veil wrapped around them both, the Elemental couldn't help but admire her bravery. For the sake of her child, she was ready to plunge into a hostile world, ready to seek its teeth into her at the first given moment. He didn't know a lot of souls who would do that.

When they appeared in his room, invaded by the usual flames, Tsuna instantly waved them away. He pursued his lips when he noticed that Nagi had instantly begun to sweat, swaying on her feet as she adapted and tried to resist the almost unbearable heat. The Elemental vanished every single flame inside the manor, uncaring that his actions would draw attention from his family. Nagi needed to cool down, first and foremost. It was during one of these moments that he wished he had easy access to his Incubus heritage, like Reborn and Giotto. Unfortunately, it usually happened only when he was in a fury, driven by his thirst for blood and death. Despite the Sin's tutoring, Tsuna had yet to master every side of his powers. He was still young, though, so he had time to learn and get experience.

Tsuna patiently waited for Nagi to compose herself. He absently flexed his wings, longing for a flight. Checking that his body heat was close to a human's, he presented his arm like a gentleman, a gentle smile on his lips. She accepted it easily enough, leaning on him but far from really relaxing. Tsuna started to lead her out of his bare room and into the maze of corridors.

"As I've said before, I'm part of the same clan as Daemon." He started to ramble, trying to keep her distracted from her worry and the weirdness of being (willingly) in Hell. "We're currently in the Head's Manor where the family's living." He went on, describing Giotto's friends, giving the most ridiculous anecdotes he could think of, succeeding in making her laugh once or twice.

Tsuna was in the middle of describing Lampo and Ugetsu's prank on Alaude when they met Knuckle leaving the room they were passing by. Nagi instantly stiffened, her grip on his arm tightening enough to cause pain to any mortal, but kept a pleasant smile on her face. Tsuna's left wing curled around her in a soothing gesture as he greeted calmly his brother's friend.

"Ah, Tsuna." Knuckle seemed glad to see him. "Giotto said that you have something important to tell us."

"Well, it will have to wait." The young Elemental answered sheepishly. "I'm kind of in the middle of something."

Knuckle spotted Nagi, frowning in brief confusion. It didn't take him long to realize that she was a human. He glanced at Tsuna in confusion.

"I thought that you weren't interested in souls…" He trailed off as a thought struck him. His expression morphed to compassion, and Tsuna wondered what he was thinking about. "Ah, so this important announcement is about Lust and you, isn't it? I know that the rupture in strong bonds can be terribly upsetting but, remember Tsuna, you can always turn to the family when you need us. Don't do anything that you may regret later."

It took Tsuna a few seconds longer than he would admit to understand what his fellow demon was hinting at. Widening his eyes, he looked with horror at Knuckle. Nagi, who had caught on somehow, muffled a chuckle behind her hand.

"I'm not going to _eat_ Nagi!" He protested before emphasizing on his second point. "As for Reborn and I, we're not breaking up or anything. We're _fine_. Never have been better, in fact. Truly."

Knuckle nodded, looking unconvinced, gave him a supporting pat on the shoulder and walked away. Tsuna sighed, rubbing his eyes. He could feel Nagi's amusement radiating from her at the misunderstanding. He shot her a mildly annoyed look that didn't faze her.

"This is going to be so much fun to clear up." He mumbled, resuming walking. "I only hope that Reborn won't hear any of that." He added, turning livid.

Nagi didn't comment but kept a genuinely amused smile on her lips, following him obediently. She, after all, relied completely on Tsuna to guide them through the imposing manor without meeting hostile demons. In fact, Tsuna himself had only a vague idea of where they were heading to. He was only following his instincts' directions. When they climbed downstairs, towards the most secluded areas, Tsuna felt himself frown. Without the warmth and light of the usual wandering flames livening up the old structure, the core corridors seemed cold.

Well, cold for an Elemental like him. Nagi seemed more at ease, the temperature more comfortable.

Reaching an inconspicuous door, Tsuna marked no hesitation. He grabbed the handle and opened it wide. His instincts warned him as soon as he had stepped inside. He reacted instantly, wings opening widely to shield a startled Nagi, a hand coming up to block whatever fiery orb had been thrown at him. He was unsurprised at the mass of indigo which flew to him. He didn't bother to counter them with his own, merely absorbing them.

"I only know of two demons able to do that." A deep voice commented from further inside, an audible smirk in his tone. "How can I help you, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna kept his wings where they were, staring with narrowed eyes at the tall figure in the center of the room. He tilted his head to the side.

"Hello, Daemon." He greeted him cheerfully enough. "I have a question for you. If we were to engage into battle right now, who do you think will win?"

The older Elemental quirked an elegant eyebrow. "Why, are you volunteering a spar, Tsunayoshi?" He asked back coolly. "I thought you were against violence."

Tsuna hummed thoughtfully as his left wing curled outwards, pushing Nagi further behind his back.

"Well, I have a confidence to make." He stage-whispered. "I've always enjoyed hunting down mortals _and_ demons who thought it was acceptable to attack, kidnap or harm children."

He observed how Daemon stilled but kept his expression smooth. Tsuna glanced again around the room, clearly sensing the presence of another soul despite being unable to see it. Illusions were annoying. He reported his attention back on his brother's creepy friend, sharply staring him down.

"I'm afraid everyone already knew that, Tsunayoshi." Daemon chuckled indulgently. "You've made your point quite clear with the incident involving the young Fuuta."

"If that's the case, why did you kidnap a human child, Daemon?" Tsuna threw subtlety out of the metaphorical window, done with it, and sensing Nagi's anxiety peaking up as she tensed.

"Now, why would I do that?" Daemon was unfazed, smirking. "I'm an Elemental, as you very well know, so I have a very limited interest in humans."

"Then, you wouldn't mind if I were to chase your flames out for a bit?" Tsuna blandly enquired.

Without waiting for an answer, his own amber flames burst out, washing over the room. Daemon sighed in exasperation as multiple furniture appeared, including a comfy bed and a coffee table with cushions on the floor. Tsuna instantly spotted the human boy staring at them with unnerving interest, heterochromatic-colored eyes fixed on him unflinchingly. Both Nagi and him were relieved to notice the absence of injuries. In fact, the child looked healthy and well-rested. Which was odd, considering that humans couldn't stand Hell for more than a few days –

"You protected him." Tsuna realized out loud, glancing incredulously at Daemon and letting Nagi run to her son to hug him tightly. He folded his wings neatly on his back, calling back his flames to vanish them.

Daemon rolled his eyes, watching the reunion from the corner of his eyes with an unreadable expression.

"Of course, I did." He replied patronizingly. "I wasn't going to let the child die."

Tsuna massaged his temples. "Alright, what did I miss this time?"

"While it is true that I kidnapped this human boy, it wasn't to harm him." The older Elemental explained as he casually crossed the room to stop a few feet away from the mortals.

Nagi was glaring at him, a mix of anger and fear in her eyes, as she protectively held Mukuro. Surprisingly, her son didn't seem afraid at all. If anything, the situation seemed to amuse him. He stayed in his mother's embrace obediently, knowing that she needed it. He looked suspiciously at ease while being in a room with two demons.

"Then, why did you do that for?" Tsuna asked in exasperation, throwing his arms up. "Since when is it normal behavior for _you_ to abduct children? I thought you hated them!"

"Don't you see?" Daemon shot back, gesturing between the boy and himself. "Isn't there something glaringly obvious?"

Tsuna observed the trio in front of him. Mukuro shared his mother's features, to the color of his skin, hair and one of his eyes, to his – no doubt – future lanky figure. Speaking of hair…

"You styled his hair like yours?" Tsuna suggested, confused and slightly horrified.

"Yes, it suits him, don't you think?" Daemon wryly confirmed, looking amused. "Anything else?"

Tsuna huffed at him, watching Nagi slowly inched away from Daemon while taking Mukuro with her. Tilting his head, he let his imagination wander, picturing Nagi as the hard-working mother and Daemon as the stern father. The young Elemental instantly paled at the thought, his eyes flickering back and forth between Mukuro and Daemon.

"Desist this train of thought, Tsunayoshi." The demon dryly requested. "You are missing several generations."

Tsuna's expression blanked. "Huh?"

Daemon sighed, sounding tired and sparking a vaguely violent urge to punch him in the face in Tsuna, as he gestured to the mortals standing near the younger demon. They were holding hands, observing and listening to the conversation. Both wore calm expression, hiding well their feelings. However, while Nagi's quietness was deceivingly soft, Mukuro's silence was unnerving. There was a distinct calculative glint in his eyes. The child barely looked any older than eight! And he was already _unnerving_.

"I can't believe that you haven't noticed it yet, Tsunayoshi." Daemon was talking, smirking at his friend's little brother's obliviousness. "After all, you have started to collect them."

"Collect them?" Tsuna repeated, baffled.

"Don't you have noticed that your humans have the tendency to share one specific common trait?"

"They needed help when they summoned me?" He ventured.

Daemon slightly shook his head. "No, Tsunayoshi. Most of your humans have demonic blood, just like Mukuro."

Tsuna instantly opened his mouth to deny it but closed it when he thought about it. He _had_ noticed that Hibari had demonic blood, of course. Nibbling on his lower lip, he mentally reviewed his various summons and his several visits in Namimori afterwards. Takeshi had already lived there even before Tsuna showed up in one of his rooms, knowing who Nana was. Hayato was a pen friend who had been invited to stay for the long holidays while his sister, Bianchi, had stayed in Italy. Speaking of Italy, Lambo also came from this country. I-pin didn't count, she was Fon's protégée, while Spanner and Shoichi were Verde's.

They all had been rather fearless when facing him, accepting and/or complying to his gentle demand when he did them. There had been a form of trust, of familiarity, between them.

And now that Daemon had pointed it out, it was suddenly obvious that the mortals in his care had all demonic blood, except for the latter three.

Tsuna briefly closed his eyes.

"Are you telling me that these children are your descendants, to Giotto and you all, when you decided to cause mischief in the human world all these centuries ago?"

"Indeed." Daemon merely confirmed, idly observing the mortals. "Both Mukuro and his mother, Chrome, are my descendants."

Mukuro didn't look surprised, probably because he had already been told. Nagi, or rather Chrome as it was her real name, was shocked – and that was putting it mildly.

"It doesn't explain why you decided to kidnap Mukuro." Tsuna pointed out, deciding that he would succumb to his incredulous exasperation later.

"I wanted to check my theory, of course." Daemon replied as if it was obvious. "I also wanted to know if I could teach them how to use their demonic power."

There was a sudden burst of flames from Mukuro, an indigo will-o'-the-wisp floating above his palm, as he grinned in contained excitement at the demons. To her credit, Chrome didn't react and stayed close to her son, staring at the flames. Tsuna idly wondered if she was going into shock.

"You're unbelievable." He sighed as he glared at Daemon. "You're aware now that we can't let Mukuro back to the human realm without teaching him how to correctly control his power."

"Why not?" The older Elemental shrugged uncaringly. "The flames won't harm him or Chrome."

"What about the other humans?" Tsuna retorted, pacing. "It's going to attract attention on them. They certainly don't need that."

"Weren't you planning on welcoming them in Namimori?" Daemon slyly asked. "It's your territory, isn't it? They won't have any problem there."

"Am I that predictable?" Tsuna wondered out loud, stopping in his tracks.

"You're a worrywart and a mother hen." Daemon stated matter-of-factly.

Tsuna shook his head, ignoring the remark. "The town is still under human's control, Daemon. No, Mukuro needs a mentor."

"Good, then why won't teach your humans and the mortals in this room to use their flames?" The Elemental instantly suggested with an infuriating smirk. "In this case, you wouldn't worry over them being outcast by others since they will belong to the same clan. Besides, they would be able to protect each other and themselves more easily, as well as any other humans you've grown fond of."

"You're just trying to dump the whole matter on me!" Tsuna exclaimed in disbelief at the sheer audacity. He pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're the one who – "

"Tsuna."

The Elemental started at the soft voice, having forgotten that Chrome and Mukuro were still there, beside him. He sent her a sheepish look, clearing his throat in embarrassment.

"I think," Chrome's gaze flicked to Daemon who stood silent before returning to Tsuna, "that I would rather live in Namimori with you teaching my son and I about our demonic lineage than having to run from the police constantly while learning by ourselves how to control Mukuro's flames."

"Of course, if you can't teach them, I'll gladly take this chore out of your hands." Daemon added in obvious amusement. "Besides, what better protection can you offer them than the one found in your territory?"

Tsuna glared at him, prompting him to throw his hands up in a 'I surrender' way. The young Elemental turned back to quiet but resolute Chrome and interested but solemn Mukuro.

"As Daemon pointed out, I was already planning on suggesting that you flee to Namimori, Chrome." He began, smiling kindly. "I have certainly not changed my mind with the recent development. Unlike Daemon, I am not irresponsible enough to abandon two of my kin to fend for themselves in the hostile human world."

Daemon scoffed. "They're hardly harmless."

"They're _two_ against _millions_!" Tsuna reminded him, his tail beating the air irritably. "Even _you_ would have trouble dealing with so many. So, no, I'm not abandoning them. They'll be under my care, safe from most of the mortals. Of course, Namimori is firstly human so they'll have to keep a low profile but there, at least, I can keep an eye on them." He let out a sharp breath, calming down.

Turning towards Chrome, he offered her his arm again, smiling at Mukuro a bit nervously. Daemon didn't move from where he stood, watching him summon the Veil with a very satisfied smirk. Tsuna suddenly understood then. Not only the older demon had kidnapped Mukuro to prove a point and confirm a theory, he was aware of the high chance that Chrome would summon a demon to get her son back. Knowing Tsuna, even without being the summoned, he would have found out about the Contract, either because the selected demon would have been stupid enough to lead a human into an Elemental territory or foolish enough to trespass into an enemy territory. Contracts were absolute after all. No demon could go against it without paying the price.

Instead of sending a blast of wild fire to his annoying smirk, Tsuna replied with one of his own.

"By the way, Daemon," he purred in a manner startling alike Reborn's, "I wonder if Elena knows about it."

Daemon blanched at the thought, cringing. He widened his eyes, silently pleading the young Elemental to keep everything hidden. Tsuna smirked, feeling (almost) guilty for the vindictive satisfaction he got. One look at Chrome's pleased expression was enough for him to push it aside and he delivered the coup de grace with a devious chuckle.

"I think she'll be delighted to hear it."

Upon these words, the Veil promptly wrapped around them. They vanished, leaving behind a freaking out Daemon, ready to disappear for a century or two. As they stepped into the calm and sunny Namimori, Tsuna let out a humming sound. That would remind the older Elemental that no one messed with families.

Tsuna absently mused that Reborn's sadistic and punishing streak was rubbing off on him.

(He couldn't bring himself to mind.)

* * *

 **A/N:** It was almost as long as the last Bonus. I just can't keep anything short, can I? Also, Knuckle wasn't supposed to appear but he just popped up.

Thank you for reading and don't hesitate to point any mistake! Any questions or any requests?

See you next time~


	8. Chapter 6

Calling Out – Bonus 2

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Swearing. Mention of (undescribed) violence and (undescribed) slaughter.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Hurt/Comfort, a bit of Drama with a bit of Crime.

 **Characters/Pairing:** Tsuna, Ryōhei, Kyōko, despicable!OCs, good!OC, Natsu.

 **Summary:** Tsuna gets summoned to find runaways siblings.

 **Timeline:** Follows the last chapter.

 **A/N:** Alright, just something to say before leaving you to your reading. I've opened up a poll to know if, according to you, it would be wise or useless for me to create a tumblr account. As you are, like, the first concerned, I think that your opinions matter. Anyway, if anyone's interested in voting, please don't hesitate to go to my profile. Thanks!

Anyway, hope you'll enjoy nevertheless!

* * *

A man with dull hair, average height and unremarkable features, stared with frustrated eyes at his broken chalk stick. He pursued his lips in distaste as he excruciatingly traced the reversed pentagram on the hard and cracked floor of the barely lit room. He threw the piece away as soon as he was done and wiped his hand on his already stained pants. He grabbed the candles scattered on a moldy table and placed them where they should be. Pulling out a lighter, he pushed on the spark wheel. A flame sparked several times, stubbornly refusing to light up. He let out an irritated growl, stress inciting him to take out a cigarette and slip it between his lips. He tried again and succeeded this time to get a weak flame.

Crouching, he lit the candles one after the other. Once done, he put the last one on the floor, pocketed his lighter and wrenched his pocket knife in obvious agitation. He had to be freaking nuts to listen to his shitty boss and try to summon a bloody forsaken demon. He scoffed at his own thought, playing absently with his blade. He really didn't want to do that ritual thing. It wasn't that he thought that the summon would work. It was more a question that he didn't want to purposefully cut himself for a stupid reason.

In his distraction, he missed the handle and nicked his fingers, drawing a red line crossing his forefinger to his little finger. Swearing, he reflexively and uselessly shook his hand. Scowling, he put away his retractile blade and looked at his injured hand. Being the dumbass that he was, he had done exactly what he didn't want to. He picked up the candle at his feet, mixing wax and blood in trepidation and irritation. He walked back to the table, staring at a coffee-stained piece of paper. He squinted at the illegible scrawl, deciphering it with difficulty. Because, of course, his boss would give him a litany of Latin and unreadable words to say to a room full of candles, expecting him to recite them perfectly.

Once their job was finished, he would find a way to switch. He wasn't going to leave the gang or anything, no, but he would certainly change bosses. With a bit of chance, he could slip a word to one of his buddies who could convince their own honcho to take him.

It was damned time he got the hell away from a guy who thought that invoking demons – real or not – was a good idea.

He finished his laborious speech with an atrocious accent, standing in front of the ritual pentagram, loosely holding the candle. He started, instantly reaching for his penknife and nearly losing his unlit cigarette, when all of the flames extinguished and the electric bulbs went out suddenly. The darkness became thicker and frightening, and he struggled to breathe. At the flutter of _something_ , in the center of the pentagram, he adopted a defensive stance, dropping the candle before a flame could rebirth and thrusting his blade in front of him. He squinted, trying to perceive anything in the overwhelming shadows. There was a sigh and all candles lit up in different colors, apart from the one he had let go earlier. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and straightened up, faking confidence as he asked.

"Who's there?"

Tsuna tilted his head on the side, glancing at the human. He easily spotted the lack of any protection and wondered how someone could be so stupid.

"I'm the demon you summoned, of course." Tsuna answered neutrally, debating if he should head back now or help his summoner nevertheless.

The mortal stared at him blankly. "Holy shit." He breathed out in utter disbelief. "It actually worked?"

"Why did you call me, human?" Tsuna forewent the presentation and basic explanation. There was something repulsive in this man's, something was off about him. It was obvious that he wasn't the type Tsuna was usually helping out. "What is it that you wanted?"

The human rolled his cigarette between his lips, sucking on it absently. He was stalling, hesitating between carrying on with his order or taking advantage of the opportunity. Tsuna narrowed his eyes at him, his tail slowly beating the air as he observed his summoner carefully. The door of the room opened abruptly, snapping them both from their musings. Tsuna turned his head towards the newcomer, assessing him. He hadn't bothered to seal the entrance, figuring that it wasn't necessary. Apparently, he had been wrong.

"Ah, I see that you've succeeded." The newcomer commented with undeniable satisfaction in his voice. "That's good. Now, ask it to find the two shits who ran away."

Tsuna's face blanked as he looked at his summoner who had stiffened at the order. The human very reluctantly turned back to the demon, disappointed that he had missed his opportunity. The guy knew that his boss would rather gun him down with the weapon he had swiftly and very obviously pointed it at him than risk him trying anything.

"So, yeah, I want you to track down two kids who had escaped from us." His summoner awkwardly relayed.

Tsuna looked unimpressed, keeping silent. The human felt compelled to justify himself.

"Hey, these kids are freaking weirdos, okay? The boy beat several of us when he snapped out of the drugs, dragging the girl with him. He even blasted the head of one of our guys with his fist!" He spat on the ground, narrowly losing his cigarette, as he growled. "They're just little monsters."

"That would be enough." His boss cut in, glaring warningly at him. "So, you think that you'll be able to find them?" He turned to look scornfully at the demon.

Tsuna looked at the two loathsome humans and smiled sweetly. His wings shivered as he flexed them gently while his tail whipped the air sharply.

"Of course." He replied pleasantly. "And if you call for my friend, Natsu, it will be even quicker."

"Natsu?" His summoner repeated dumbly and predictably.

….Tsuna's smile turned into a smirk as he felt the Veil shiver, stretching to answer the request of the oblivious human. The Elemental hummed in contentment, musing on how easy it was. He casually stepped out of the pentagram, enjoying how the humans tensed in fright. The boss instantly aimed at him, keeping a wary eye on him.

"As I said, I'll find the children." Tsuna casually approached his summoner, ignoring the vain threat.

Behind him, the Veil fluttered, bringing back a familiar heat. The demon got even closer of his unprotected and foolish summoner, reaching out a hand. As a low and rumbling growl echoed behind his back, he tasted the terror and horror created by the arrival of his dear friend. His eyes glowing amber, a tiny red flame burst from his forefinger, lightening the hanging cigarette. Beside him, the human yelled partly in fright and partly in horror, firing off his gun on the hellion who had appeared from the darkness. The formidable beast was unfazed, turning sharp predator's eyes on him, the bullets traversing his body of fire.

"Enjoy." Tsuna chuckled as his summoner shakily stepped away from the Elemental. Without turning to his fiery friend, the demon ignored the hysterical human desperately trying to reload his gun and hummed. "I'll leave them to you, Natsu. _Have fun_."

With the cries of mercy and the sounds of frantic fired bullets, Tsuna burst into flames, leaving instantly the building to appear outside. He took the time to observe his surroundings, mildly surprised to see that he had landed in the middle of a town. For some reason, he had expected to be summoned in an abandoned warehouse. Turning around, he noted that he had probably been in some sort of basement, hidden inside some kind of unpopular shop. Glancing around, he flexed his wings absently as he noticed the deserted streets. It took no genius to understand that it was an avoided part of the town with decrepit facades and broken windows. The few cars still parked were wrecks or close to it. It wasn't hard to believe that no one wanted to live here.

Of course, appearances were deceiving. Tsuna could sense humans in the buildings and underground, some watching him warily and some hiding away. The presences in the structure behind him were vanishing steadily, devoured by Natsu. With his keen senses, the Elemental could hear their screams and their whispered pleas, smell their fear and despair, sense their souls leave their corporeal envelop as the hellion played with the humans, a lot like a cat pursuing a mouse or an insect. Surprisingly, the cries were greatly muffled, barely heard for mortal's ears.

Tsuna wondered briefly if he should wait for Natsu before beginning his hunt. Being a hellion of fire, it was easy for the feline to shrink or grow his body. He was, for the moment, the size of a tiger. If he were to come with Tsuna, he would take the form of a cat. Sure, he would still be a mass of fire and teeth and claws, but he would be more _portable_. Still, the Elemental hesitated. He had certainly not forgotten about Daemon's theory. If the tales his now-deceased summoner were true, there was a chance that the runaway children had demonic blood. If that were the case, not only Tsuna would find them more easily, but he would rather take them back to Namimori than leave them to the humans' mercy.

Deciding to let Natsu to his fun, Tsuna flexed his wings pensively. He probably should put up a glamour to hide his demonic features. The humans in the immediate vicinity had already seen him as he was, but the children were certainly further away. He should present himself as a non-threatening figure. Popping up with glowing eyes, pointed teeth, leathery wings and a forked tail, would freak them out, especially with how afraid they already were. Sighing, he awkwardly waved a hand to hide his true nature behind a glamour. He wasn't used to it and promptly forgot to tone down his own allure. Oblivious, he ruffled his hair and started to walk down the street, trusting old instincts and unknowingly lowering every single human's guards who crossed his path.

Expertly waving his way through the crowds, Tsuna followed blindly his instincts' directions. They were currently urging him to stalk an exhausted-looking woman, sending nervous glances around her. He could tell that the coming of the night was worrying her and she couldn't walk fast enough to her home, her hands gripping tightly her plastic bag. Tsuna shot a disinterested look at the cars and buses on the asphalt, keeping up effortlessly. Summoned in the middle of the day, he had spent hours roaming the city and waiting. While at first, he had not known what he was patiently waiting for, he had left the bar where he had been sipping a spicy cocktail without paying and inconspicuously at a nudge from his intuition. Spotting quickly the woman, he had followed her steps, unnoticed. When she finally entered a five-stories building, he stopped outside. Instead, he tilted his head back, both ears and eyes focusing.

In the middle of sounds picked up by his senses, he isolated the noise of her footsteps. He counted the number of steps she hastily climbed. She paused on the fourth floor. He listened to the rustle of fabric and plastic, the clicking of keys and the unlocking of her front door. Soft words greeted her in a mix of relief and anxiety. His eyes swept the façade, catching the dull lightening up of a curtained window. Humming lowly in his throat, he crouched down and stretched an arm for the cat-form of a content Natsu. Standing up with a purring Natsu in his arms and approaching the building, Tsuna smiled shyly but charmingly at the couple of humans leaving. Catching the door with his elbow before it closed, the demon entered swiftly. Tsuna quietly made his way to the apartment, encountering no interference. He stopped in front of the door, idly wondering if his presence was going to freak them out, and knocked politely on the sturdy wood.

Silence immediately fell behind, breathes hold to stare fearfully at the door. Frantic whispers followed as they debated the best way to handle the situation. Tsuna waited patiently, as he had done for the entire day anyway, as he idly ran his fingers in Natsu's fiery mane. He tried to take the most innocent look he could put on, watching owlishly through the peephole, discerning movements thanks to the light inside. Finally, hesitant steps went towards the door as the woman mustered his courage to open. She let it ajar, wide enough to let him see her face but blocking his sight.

"Can I help you?" She asked steadily enough, nerves showing through the twitch of her fingers on her door.

"Yes." Tsuna replied with a fleeting smile. "I have a message for your guests."

She visibly stiffened but kept her composure otherwise, silent. He didn't wait for an answer and carried on.

"I've taken care of their previous hosts. Shall they need a hand, calling out my name will bring me to them." Tsuna tilted his head again, his hand shifting to scratch Natsu's chin. "Remember, they only need to say Tsuna, to summon me."

He grinned then at her, amused by her confused wariness, and taking a few steps back, took off the glamour and burst into flames.

* * *

Tsuna didn't return to Hell. In fact, to do so, he needed the Veil – contrary to the Sins and some high-ranked demons – and he had certainly not invoked it. He was currently lying on the roof, Natsu dozing off on his chest, as he gazed at the natural or polluted clouds hiding the stars from him. He grimaced, displeased to have one of his simplest hobbies taken from him. He could stare for days at the sky, daytime or nighttime, in his realm. In the human world, though, he considered himself lucky if he managed to spot Polaris or Sirius. Their firmament was always veiled, polluted and dulled, by their activities of development or whatever.

Each time Tsuna looked around, he saw the nature dying, their world agonizing.

It made him wonder how long would the humans survive.

Sighing, Tsuna stretched his arms above his head, yawning and popping his bones. His wings were awkwardly squashed on the ground, and he knew that if he didn't move soon, they would be stiff and clumsy, if not numb. His ears were still picking up the hushed conversation going on and on a few stories down. His name had slipped only once, shortly followed by a fearful silence, as they waited for him to show up. He hadn't reacted, knowing that it wasn't a true call for his help. It was alright to wait. He wasn't in any hurry – far from it.

Besides, he knew that the humans would inevitably turn to him. He had shown what he was, being terrified and confused as they were – not of him but of the ones who had summoned him in the first place – would incite them to take risks. Seeking his help was quite a despaired action but understandable, one that Tsuna encouraged for he was not seeking their souls, merely their safety.

It was only an hour later than Tsuna heard the soft, hesitant but determined call of his name. Standing up with Natsu back in his arms, he burst again into flames, reappearing rather dramatically inside the living-room beneath. The three humans started or stiffened at his presence, eyeing him with a mix of wariness and fear. He winced when he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he would be intimidating, especially with a fiery cat with sharp claws and teeth purring in his arms. Instead, he settled for freezing on the spot, observing the mortals with an encouraging look.

He barely spared a glance at the woman, owner of the apartment, and looking dead on her feet because of her fatigue. He nodded in acknowledgment at her when he recognized that one of the children, the boy, had been patched up thanks to her. Said boy didn't look any older than Takeshi but was just as bold, staring him down with a fierce protectiveness for his sister, younger in both age and experience. It was obvious that he was used to put himself in danger, taking his role of big brother to heart. His sister, though, as used as she was to care for him was frightened by the events. She still insisted to stand her grounds, watching the demon cautiously, willingly posting herself in front of her disapproving brother, struggling to sit up on the couch.

With a bit of concentration and by readily looking for it, Tsuna could sense demonic blood running in their veins.

Well, that certainly confirmed again Daemon's theory.

Shaking his head at his thought, he sent them all a friendly smile, his tail beating the air lazily. The three humans exchanged a glance, unsure on how to carry on there. It was the boy who began – straight to the point.

"Is it true that you killed the men who kidnapped us?"

Tsuna pointedly stared at his multiple injuries, silently conveying a ' _They did more than abducting you_ ' but hummed instead.

"Well, technically, it's Natsu here that devoured them all." He nodded down at the hellion. "However, I _am_ the one who _suggested_ to the idiot that served as my summoner to summon Natsu." He shrugged. "Not my fault if he didn't watch his tongue."

Their attention was instantly on the currently-little demon, sleeping away his meal. The boy awkwardly sat up finally, holding himself oddly as to not put any strain on his side. With his right hand, he kept ice pressed against his cheek. He pursued briefly his lips, stopping when it drew blood from his cut. He ignored the stitches on his temple and the eyebrow arch as he frowned.

"Who are you, really?" He asked, staring intently at Tsuna, gauging his sincerity.

"I have many names," Tsuna began with a wry smile, "but only one that matters." He softened, turning gentler. "I'm Tsuna, a demon."

The girl let out a surprised sound, eyes widening. The woman involuntarily stepped back, fear etched in her features. The boy was unfazed, unsatisfied with the answer.

"Yeah but _who_ are you?" He insisted, waving his ice pack in frustration. His frown deepened, pulling at his stitches. "What are trying to get in exchange?"

"Nothing." Tsuna answered honestly. "I abhor humans like them so I took satisfaction in punishing them. As for helping you out, you can see it as me adding insult to injury but well, it's just because I want to."

The girl had a contemplative look in her unguarded eyes, observing him in restrained wonder. She sent a pointed glance at her brother and they held a conversation in complete silence, excluding both the other human in the room and the patient demon. The woman pursued her lips when she noticed that the boy was growing agitated, walking over to him and hissing sharply to stay put to not worsen his condition, turning her back without any hesitation whatsoever. Tsuna expected it, knowing that his allure incited people to drop their guards around him, even if they were wary of him at first. He could tell that the girl was receptive to his words while the boy had a look of deep concentration on him, gaze boring into the Elemental as he tried to resolve the puzzle Tsuna seemed to be for him.

With a start, Tsuna realized that the boy was resisting his allure, even better than his sister. He then wondered why he was so surprised. The child had a demonic blood, and more importantly, he was a descendant of his clan. If he were to guess, he would bet on Knuckle, sharing the overprotectiveness for their families, the utter lack of self-preservation and the unspoken demand for honesty whenever they talked to someone. It surprised him slightly that Knuckle had had a relationship with a human, considering how serious he took the matter of commitment, reluctant at the idea to bond to someone who would die before him, inevitably. Her death had certainly affected him greatly when he learnt about it. Still, wasn't he aware of descendants? Why no one among them even suspected it?

Lost in his thoughts, Tsuna barely noticed that the humans were holding a hushed conversation, whispering furious arguments and voicing their opinion about his intentions. The sudden silence that fell a few minutes later brought the demon back to the matter at hand. He slowly blinked away his musing, focusing back on the three tense humans in the room.

"We don't know if we can trust your words." The woman began, sounding terribly uneasy to speak up.

"I can always show you their corpses." Tsuna interrupted her, then winced. "I don't want you to see that. It's one thing to watch gory films and another to actually stare at a cooling corpse, smell the putrid scent of death and decay and feel the violence that had happened. No one should have to live such experiences."

"I'm a nurse." The woman pointed out. "I've already seen corpses."

"It's different." Tsuna shook his head and paused, wondering how he should explain. "It's not only a corpse that you'll find there. As I said, it's the ambiance and the air surrounding the scene that will get to you. Seeing a lifeless body on a table isn't scarring. Seeing corpses mauled by Natsu will terrify you and shock you to the core. It's you who will be entering the building but it's someone else entirely that will leave."

Judging by how livid her face had turned, she understood. Tsuna didn't point out that he could have teleported them on the roof, hypnotized her and successfully deceived them with false memories or puppet's words.

"Well, I can always bring back a head." He offered uncertainly, doubting that it was a good thing to do.

The mortals looked ill at the suggestion. That was a no, then. Tsuna sighed, frustrated by the lack of progress.

"Look, I may be a demon but that does not necessarily mean that I'm evil and trying to eat your souls." His tail was trashing behind him in his agitation, hissing as he whipped the air. "Firstly, I'm an Elemental. I don't need souls to live, just fire. Secondly, I hate seeing children abandoned or kidnapped or harmed, due to… personal reasons that I will not develop." He paused, eyes flicking around the room as he firmly banned any memories. "I just want you to be back where you belong. Is it so hard to believe?" His eyes had turned pleading as he gave them a dejected look.

The girl pursued her lips as she turned to stare down at her brother in disapprobation. She obviously believed Tsuna. The boy's reluctance was apparently exasperating her. Huffing and crossing her arms on her chest, she deliberately stepped closer to the demon. Her brother gasped at her recklessness and jumped up, ignoring the pain in his chest. He caught her shoulder to stop her from moving forward. Tsuna wisely stayed put, glancing briefly at the displeased woman who clicked her tongue at the agitation.

"Even if you were to bring us back to our father, it wouldn't change anything." The girl admitted, looking guilty at her brother's sharp reprimand of ' _Kyōko!_ " but standing her ground.

"Why?" Tsuna asked simply, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"There's a reason behind our kidnapping." Kyōko continued. "It was a both a punishment and a way to blackmail our father."

Behind her, his brother sighed in resignation, capitulating before his sister's stubbornness. He took over at his point, preferring to explain the matter and sparing Kyoko the ordeal.

"Our father is a great boxer." He began proudly, smiling. "He taught me everything I know, from taking a punch and knocking my adversary out. And because he isn't a bully without principles or kindness, he's well-liked by everyone." His look turned somber. "Well, he would be if he wasn't involved in bets."

Ah, money. Tsuna wasn't surprised. Mortals' problems usually revolved around the Sins.

"Father is a great person." Kyōko instantly and fervently defended him, used to do it.

"Yeah." Her brother nodded. "He does what he can to protect his family, even if it's courting with dangerous people."

"His devotion is admirable." Tsuna commented absently, seeing where it was going. "I assume that your father has failed to do something for these guys, got beaten up as a warning, and to ensure his docility, you were kidnapped, right?" At their nods, he frowned. "Where do the injuries come from then?"

"We fought our way out." The boy explained with a grimace. "I got them then."

Right. Why didn't Tsuna think of that?

"So," he carried on, "I take it that unless I kill every one of them, you won't be left alone, huh." He frowned thoughtfully, ignoring the woman who had decided to risk leaving the three – four with Natsu – alone in her living-room to go to her kitchen. "That, or you could move out of town."

"We don't have the money for that nor any family that could take us." The boy shot down the idea while looking slightly disturbed at the first suggestion. "And we're not like them. We won't let you kill them, even if they're horrible. It's wrong to kill."

Tsuna smiled. "You're both good people, protecting your enemy like you're doing." His expression turned contemplative. "However, you're right, Kyōko. Taking you back to your father isn't going to solve anything concerning his debts or any deals he currently has." He stared at them, making sure that they were paying attention to his words and understanding how serious he was. "When I suggested that you move out, I had a place in mind. Do you know of Namimori?"

Kyōko shook her head but her brother had a searching frown on his face. It rang a bell but he couldn't remember why.

"Namimori is a town that is under my protection." Tsuna explained carefully. "Some of my previous summoners had problem that led them to contact me. For their safety, I took them to Namimori where they could find another family or some friends." He paused then casually continued. "Should you need this protection from these despicable mortals or for another reason, summon me or go to a restaurant called _Takesushi_ in Namimori. One of the children there, Takeshi, knows me. You need only to say my name and he'll help you."

It was obvious that they didn't know what to say or even what to think so Tsuna concluded.

"My proposition holds, whether you want to move in a few days or in twenty years. The choice is yours to make – with the input of your father, of course." He smiled brightly then, waving the matter away metaphorically. "Now, let's get to your family."

"Wait." The woman sharply called their attentions, chopsticks in her hand. "No one's leaving before they have a meal in their tummies."

As Kyōko offered her help to dress the table, the boy stayed with Tsuna. He extended a hand, smiling gratefully and a bit sheepishly.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Tsuna." He apologized sincerely. "I was wrong. You're a good guy. And, well, my name is Ryōhei."

The demon carefully put the slumbering Natsu on his shoulders, freeing his arms to shake hands with Ryōhei.

"I'm extremely glad to have met you, Tsuna!" The mortal gleefully beamed, a drastic change of behavior from his earlier wariness.

Tsuna chuckled, amused.

"Yeah, I am too."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yep, I've just winked to a popular TV show. Cookies for anyone guessing correctly!

Thank you for reading and don't hesitate to point any mistakes! Any question or any request?

See you next time~


	9. Chapter 7

Calling Out – Chapter 7

 **Warnings:** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Very mild foreplay (nothing happens).

 **Rating:** T (with borderline M-ish contents).

 **Genres:** Humor, Romance, Drama (a bit).

 **Characters/Pairing:** Tsuna, Adult!Reborn, Bermuda, Jager, mentions of Enma, Jack and Alejandro, Vongola 1st Generation. R27

 **Summary:** Reborn casually walks in the Elemental clan's manor, prompting Tsuna to decide that it is time to reveal that he has a Chosen to the rest of his family. However, nothing ever happens as he plans – as Tsuna should know – and he ends up by visiting old friends.

 **Timeline:** Follows the last chapter (which is _really_ chapter 6, and not a Bonus as I incorrectly wrote).

 **Answers to reviews:** Thank you all so much for the follows, favs and reviews! Always a pleasure to know that people like reading my stories.

 _ **miki:**_ I had honestly forgotten about them, as well as the Shimons. Good call. Here, the Vindice!

 _ **CatunaCaty:**_ If Tsuna can't eat fire for x reasons, he totally can rely on his Incubus power coming from his mother. And, in that case, there is _no way_ that Reborn isn't going to 'help' him. * _smirks_ *

 **A/N:** Anyway, hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

Tsuna frowned as he looked down at the letter one of his clan's lowest-ranked demon had given him. He vaguely wondered why they had done so when it was obvious that it was addressed to his brother. He had read it when he had received it, skipping over the formal and polite greetings by habit. He wasn't really bothered by the sudden and unplanned invasion of privacy – it was a formal letter, not a love one –, knowing that Giotto wouldn't mind. Considering the number of times people mistook one for the other, they both quickly gave up the idea that their correspondence would only involve the sender and the receiver. Besides, while Tsuna wasn't constantly informed of the clan's every business, he knew that no secrets would be kept hidden from him (aside from pranks), that his advice would be sought out and that his input – as Alaude so diplomatically called his interference – was always welcomed to calm/help/get out of any mess/restrain Giotto when it was necessary.

A presence waltzed into the hall where Tsuna stood, prompting him to fold the letter and put it inside the only pocket of his tight pants. It was symbolical more than anything, since Reborn knew (almost) everything that happened in the demonic realm somehow, including his family's business. That, and the Elemental wasn't sure that he could keep secrets – Reborn could be extremely persuasive, after all. Still, the Sin respected some discretion when requested.

"I received something interesting yesterday." Reborn walked up to his Chosen with a deceiving nonchalance.

Tsuna quirked an eyebrow, squashing down the urge to instinctively back away, and smiled.

"Tell me, Tsuna, why would Knuckle send me consolation gifts with a letter threatening to wage war against me if I tried to do anything to you?"

Tsuna cringed, remembering the misunderstanding that had occurred recently. It had yet to be cleared up, what with Tsuna and G being summoned and the others taking care of the clan's affairs. If he remembered correctly, they had managed to get everyone for a few hours for a debriefing currently held in one of the many rooms.

"Huh…" He edged away. "There might have been a misunderstanding…?" He trailed off with an inquisitive tone, watching Reborn carefully.

He didn't bother trying to evade his lover when Reborn hummed at his answer, wrapped an arm around his waist and caught his chin to lift his head up. Not expecting the searing kiss that followed, the Elemental barely reacted, letting the Sin ravish him.

"In that case," Reborn whispered as he leant back with a smirk, "we should immediately clarify the matter."

He promptly dragged away a breathless and slightly dazed Tsuna who struggled to understand the simple words as he compliantly followed. When he did, the Elemental vainly dug his heels in the smooth stony floor and opened widely his wings to slow them down. Reborn didn't even pause, adjusting accordingly his strength to the resistance. Tsuna responded by interlacing their forked tails together, causing the Sin to shiver. He sent a side-way glance, amused by his lover's boldness. The devilish smile he received went straight to his slumbering but stirring sin. His right arm was still around Tsuna's waist, holding him firmly against him to prevent him from leaving. It had the inconvenient of keeping him trapped with a playful Tsuna.

The smaller demon felt the arm around his waist twitch as Reborn debated the wisdom of keeping the Elemental so close to him. Tsuna nestled against the Sin's side, not even suppressing the content sigh that left his lips as his rising warmth met Reborn's cold skin. The Sin instinctively tightened his hold, making Tsuna grin. No matter how hard Reborn tried to hide it, the Elemental saw right through him.

Reborn was like a reptile or a cat, craving for warmth. And Tsuna was the never-ending source, drawing him in.

Reborn was already shifting his hold, his hand sneaking beneath Tsuna's shirt, seeking for more. Instead of pulling away, the Elemental merely hummed and allowed his body heat to increase, coloring his veins a shimmering gold as his blood turned into liquid fire. Fingers brushed Reborn's arm with the lightness of a feather, leaving burning trails on their path as they reached the larger hand to lace their digits together. Tsuna sent him a sly look, lazily moving their connected hands further down until they reached and stopped at his pants' waistband.

At some point, their pace had dramatically slowed down, as they focused on their little game. They were barely aware of their surroundings, not giving a lick of care to the fact that they were in the middle of a corridor, liable to be seen.

A smirk curled Reborn's lips as his forked tail purposefully rubbed against the other, eliciting a startled hiss from Tsuna and efficiently distracting him. Taking advantage, the Sin let his little finger, closely followed by his ring finger, slip under the seam. The Elemental gasped and shivered at the unexpected cold, in vivid contrast with his heat. Tsuna simultaneously leaned against Reborn, lifting his head up to glare at him with half-lidded eyes, and gripped tighter the hand to stop him from going further. It didn't deter the Sin who sneaked his other arm higher around the Elemental's torso and turning slightly, took a few steps back until his back met a wall.

Tsuna suppressed a squeak at the movement, his eyes widening. Reborn lowered his head, the cold tip of his nose brushing against the shell of the Elemental's ear.

"Nice try." He whispered, delighting in making the smaller demon shiver. "However, you shouldn't tease me like that without expecting any retaliation."

"You started it first." Tsuna retorted without missing a beat. "I merely picked up where you left."

"Don't move." Reborn suddenly growled when he sensed the Elemental starting to twist to face him.

Whether it was planned or not, Tsuna had successfully awakened his sin. Any movement that might pull the smaller demon away from his hold would only spark his instinctive need to give chase. He inwardly thanked his luck when Tsuna stayed put, understanding that it wasn't an order coming from a desire to dominate but to avoid complications. Any other demon would have been offended or would have taken it as a challenge. Well, to be fair, Reborn wouldn't have fallen for anyone stupid enough to react like this.

"It kind of reminds me of the first session of tor – tutoring." Tsuna commented as he relaxed, keeping their fingers intertwined but freeing their tails gently. "Your Sin had also acted up then. Though it wasn't exactly the same cause."

"Clearly not." Reborn snorted before nuzzling his neck. "It wasn't your virtue I was after."

"Bloodlust does that to people." The Elemental's smile was as lopsided as the Sin's smirk was wry. "Good thing my instincts had always been sharp."

Reborn agreed by keeping silent, his hold loosening. They stayed like that a little while longer, each waiting for his sin to calm down, easing into the peaceful companionship they shared and diving into the quietness of their thoughts.

"We can wait a bit longer."

Tsuna tilted his head back, leaning it on Reborn's shoulder. He considered his lover's words, and found that while he was still stressed over formerly announcing it to his family, he wasn't freaking out anymore. Lampo's assurance that everything was going to be fine reassured him more than he thought it would.

The fact that Reborn's fingers were idly mapping his still golden veins which were carrying liquid fire, in the typical fashion of being attracted to the hottest part of his body, amused him greatly. He paused and then blushed up a storm as he realized what exactly he had thought.

"Care to share?" Reborn asked as one of his hands rose to lightly touch his bright cheeks.

Tsuna shook his head, even more embarrassed. "N-nothing. And I don't mind telling them now. It's probably going to be one of the few occasions they're all together in the same room, since it is one of the meetings they have to attend."

Reborn completely released him, smoothing his expression back and passing a hand in his hair before setting his fedora back. "Let's go then."

Tsuna nodded and took the lead, knowing where the reunion was currently held. He thought back of the letter in his pocket, figuring that it was the occasion to bring it up too. He paused when he noticed that Reborn hadn't followed him and turned around to look at him inquisitively. He stilled when he felt a familiar sensation, not unlike the Veil but missing the usual tug belonging to a summon. At Reborn's slight widening of his eyes, he knew that whatever was causing this, had appeared behind him. He wasn't exactly surprised when a hand clamped around his arm in a dead grip, wrenching him away from his frozen position quite violently. He only had the time to meet Reborn's stupefied and greatly displeased gaze before a rush of power caused him to blink reflexively.

Tsuna beat his wings as he stumbled to find his footing, rounding on his abductor. He barely paid any attention to his new environment, already knowing where he was.

"You kidnapped me!" He exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes at the tall demon with indistinguishable features, keeping them hidden beneath tight bandages. Except their eyes, unnerving and often lit with an insane glint. "Again, might I add!"

"Tsunayoshi – "

"Don't 'Tsunayoshi' me, Jager." Tsuna interrupted him as he crossed his arms on his chest. "I thought that we had an agreement that you wouldn't do that again. It was bad enough when I was but a child, now, it's just creepy."

"Tsuna – "

"And why did you think that it was a good idea to take me from the manor?" Tsuna was relentless, shaking his head. "Giotto is sure going to know about this, even if I keep my mouth shut."

"Ts – "

"Besides, you kidnapped me in front of _Reborn_." There, he threw his arms up, as if questioning their common sense. "Everyone knows that no one mess with him, especially when it's liable to awake his sin. And let me tell you that should you have intervened earlier, Reborn wouldn't have reacted so calmly."

"Child!" Jager cried out in utter exasperation. "Will you at least let me explain myself?"

Tsuna huffed as he simultaneously shrugged and offered a sheepish smile, falling silent. The taller demon rolled his eyes in unconcealed fondness, smiling beneath his bandages. Not that anyone could tell, being all wrapped out like that. It was a look his clan kept diligently, knowing that since no demon knew what they looked like underneath played a great part in spreading terror. The fact that their powers felt close to the Veil – something that was as ancient as the first demon walking in Hell – only served further their intentions to ensure their ascendancy over the demonic realm – minus the Queen.

In fact, only three souls knew what the bandages hid, namely the Queen, Tsunayoshi and Enma. Instead of allowing himself to lose his attention to memories, Jager gestured at the Elemental to follow him. Tsuna complied graciously, sighing as he understood that he wasn't going to be back anytime soon. He grimaced at the reactions his family and Reborn would surely give him at his return but resolutely pushed the matter away. He sighed once again, in defeat this time, and trotted to catch up with Jager's longer strides.

"So, how have all you been?" He asked in genuine curiosity. "It's been a while since my last visit, after all."

"Same as usual."

"Enjoying capturing and torturing demons who have dared to cross you and your own, you mean?" He translated wryly. "Or have you found another demon child to babysit and traumatize?" He added with a cheerful smile.

"It was only once." Jager argued, sending him a side-way look. "And we gave you so much sweets and cakes to make it up that you fell ill."

Tsuna chuckled before looking pointedly at him. "Hey, you _did_ kidnap me to bargain with my brother! I deserved them for pulling out a stunt like that."

"Yes, as you have told us countless times to try and get more." The taller demon scoffed. "Really, I didn't understand you as a child. We had abducted you to force your brother's hand, terrified you and probably scarred you. Even so, after the matter was resolved with your brother, you kept coming back, pestering us for cakes and games. You even brought your friend from a different clan with you."

Tsuna shrugged helplessly, slightly embarrassed. "You had involved Enma since the beginning because he was with me the first time." He pointed out. "And don't act as if you weren't happy to see me. I know for a fact that it was Alejandro and Jack who bought the sweets the first time. Bermuda and you were the happiest when I started to call you Uncle."

Jager didn't deny it, merely slowing down and observing pensively the Elemental. "I doubt that I'll ever understand you, Tsunayoshi. You are certainly the only soul who doesn't fear us."

"Hard to when I witnessed all of your most embarrassing moments." Tsuna joked to hide his bashfulness. He turned serious quickly enough, pulling them both out of their reminiscent mood. "Why am I here exactly? I know that you sent a letter to my brother, but I don't see how I'm concerned in all this. Clan's business is usually taken to Giotto."

"In fact, Tsunayoshi, you are as involved as your brother." A new voice answered his question, prompting them to look at the silhouette standing still in a few meters away.

Tsuna frowned as Jager bowed respectfully in front of his clan's Head. "What do you mean, Bermuda?"

The bandaged demon approached them leisurely, sending a dismissive nod at Jager who turned around to leave, and stopped in front of the cautious Elemental.

"Haven't you noticed something special with your summons recently?"

Tsuna tensed. "Having a territory in the human realm is not forbidden by the Rules, nor is it to have a few humans under demonic protection."

"Indeed not." Bermuda confirmed quietly. " _A fortiori_ if these children appear to be part of your clan by blood."

"If you already know, why did you ask for my presence?" Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

"I needed to ensure that your clan would take responsibility of the consequences of past brashness." The older demon replied with an authority that shouldn't be forgotten. "These children, no matter how human they are, obey to your clan laws, Tsunayoshi. Any of their misgivings will be your responsibility, especially so now that you have formally recognized them as your own."

"I am well aware of that, Bermuda." Tsuna answered as gravely. "They're family. They need guidance and protection, and so shall they receive so."

"Good." Bermuda murmured in satisfaction. He sobered up quickly enough. "Yet, there is something else about your summons that are unusual." He narrowed his eyes. "You have known quite the spike of popularity recently. It is surprising, considering that you are first and foremost an Elemental and humans tend to call upon other clans."

Tsuna shrugged, uncomfortable. "I don't know. Humans are fickle, though. It is probably just a fancy."

"I doubt that it is so simple." The clan's Head disagreed. "Come. It is a discussion we should have seated comfortably, and not standing in the middle of a corridor."

At that, Tsuna took a look around. Try as he might, he wouldn't be able to tell where he was. He had the distinct impression that he was standing – and walking – in a mist of darkness, without a clue as to where the up and the down were situated. He hadn't even bothered conjuring a ball of flames, knowing that it wouldn't change anything – except making the darkness more _alive_ somehow. The first time Jager took him here, he had been terrified out of his wits, completely lost and his senses blinded. It was only by sticking close, like annoying glue, to his kidnapper and Enma – the poor demon who was at the wrong place at the wrong time – that Tsuna had managed to somehow calm down. Of course, the fact that it was _them_ , the bandaged clan, hadn't helped any in relaxing him. Thankfully, after a few hours stuck in there and being children, both Tsuna and Enma had managed to adapt. While Tsuna had eventually succeeded in ignoring his fear and wariness to come back regularly, Enma had vehemently refused to take another step inside Bermuda's territory in an admirable proof of self-preservation and common sense.

Well, Tsuna mused, he had never pretended to be normal. Not with the family he had, and certainly not with his Chosen.

To know that he was one of the rare demons able to navigate into Bermuda's territory without getting his head bitten off, was quite an achievement to be proud of, in his humble opinion.

He suddenly shivered and wrapped his wings around himself. While both Reborn and Bermuda manipulated darkness, their powers were distinctly different. The Sentinels, Bermuda's clan, were demons using a magic that was mighty and oppressive, as ancient as and startlingly alike the Veil, and oddly compelling. Breathing in their darkness gave the subtle and ephemeral impression of diving into the heart of their demonic essence, before the feeling of insignificance and weakness overwhelmed everything else. Their embrace was icy and merciless, humbling and terrorizing any demons. It was said that the Sentinels were among the first demons who had graced the realms, along with the Queen, and therefore shared an intensely intimate bond with the origins of demonic magic – or power. Their role had been to protect the Queen from the angels when war was still raging, striking their enemies down mercilessly, before the treaties were signed, the Rules were made and peace settled. Now, they were another sort of sentinel, watching over the realms and punishing those that deserved penalties.

Reborn's darkness also frightened most demons, being a powerful _Sin_ , but the perception of it was drastically different. For one, his magic was a combination of the sin – a power that chose its bearer, fueled by its own endless existence – and what power he already had at his birth. His darkness came from his ability to manipulate people's minds and desires, diving into the hidden subconscious of souls. The sin simply adapted. Him being an Incubus explained why his darkness felt sensual and seductive, cold and encompassing, intense and intimate. Tsuna figured that his feelings of comfort and safety came from the fact that it was _Reborn_ , just as he knew that his Flames were so electrifying and oddly enough, calming for Reborn was because it was _Tsuna's_.

"Here, have a seat, Tsunayoshi."

Bermuda's voice broke through his musings, efficiently bringing him back to the situation at hand. The Elemental looked around briefly, squinting his eyes in reflex to discern the silhouettes of several pieces of furniture. He sat down on a comfortable but clearly old armchair, facing Bermuda who imitated him.

"I have to admit that I had no idea that you were still keeping an eye on me." Tsuna off-handedly commented when the silence started to unnerve him, especially when he could feel the ancient demon's gaze on him.

"Now, we would be terrible uncles if we didn't know what happens to our favorite nephew, wouldn't we?" Bermuda smirked, amused by the remark. "Speaking of, receive the congratulations of the clan, Tsunayoshi. It isn't everyone nor is it equally usual to find a Chosen as powerful as yours."

"…Thank you." Tsuna settled for, after debating if he should be embarrassed but flattered to be felicitated by the Sentinels or offended by the implicit approval to have snatched Lust for his position. "I'm sure Reborn will be… _delighted_ to know that you have given us your blessing."

He would, most likely, verge between incredulous, amused and a bit horrified to learn that Tsuna still had ties with the Sentinels.

"I doubt that you wished to see me to express your approbation for our bond." He went on, alluding to their previous conversation. He shifted to dig a hand into his pocket and pulled out the letter he had received earlier. "We received your letter earlier today, Bermuda. Honestly, most of the convoluted conventions go straight over my head but I understood that it involved my family's… eccentricities somehow."

"That's one way to put it." Bermuda agreed wryly. "Do you know what your brother and his associates did when they roamed freely the human realm?"

Tsuna frowned and crossed one leg over the other. "I think that they created some sort of illegal and influential group that they called Clam of all names." He rolled his eyes at that, vaguely wondering what they had in mind. "Anyway, they made waves, troubling quite a number of powerful institutions and gaining enemies. They staged some form of betrayal between Giotto and Daemon, and dumped the whole matter on the remaining and willing humans. I know that the organization survived for a bit after my family's departure."

"We know of the involvement of another clan that has friendly ties with yours." Bermuda added. "They hadn't been contacted though. Besides, this organization – _Vongola_ – is still extremely influent, controlling most of the human criminal word and constantly looking for development."

"Wait, is this about my brother's friends' descendants?" Tsuna asked, striking bull-eye in another show of his sharp intuition. "Unless demons or angels try to destroy realms or attempt genocide, you don't really interfere. What is so important about this Vongola that attracted your attention?"

"What I reproach them isn't their pranks or their sense of fun, but rather their carelessness." The ancient Sentinel answered, gravity and disapproval entering his voice. "They should have checked that they hadn't left descendants with huge potential behind them. They also didn't verify during the last centuries if humans weren't born with their blood, be it simply precaution or paranoia."

"Something has happened." Tsuna ventured, narrowing his eyes. "Or, something is happening."

"Vongola has made a point to discover and hire every human with demonic or angelic blood." Bermuda informed him bluntly. "They have only started to do it quite recently, but it _was_ one of Giotto's descendants who initiated this research. You can easily guess where I am going."

Tsuna scowled, eyes darkening in obvious displeasure. "They're going to go after mine. Be it because they managed to trace their lineage from their ancestors, or because the kids slip up, or because of an unfortunate coincidence, there is a real risk that Vongola finds them." His lips thinned in a straight line. "Of course, that's not the only consequence. I doubt that the angels would take kindly to criminals using their descendants to assert dominance over the other humans. Should they discover that my clan was the origin of this organization…" He trailed off and grimaced.

"It seems a bit far-fetched for the moment to consider this possibility." Bermuda calmed him down. "For now, there is the possibility of our existence being common knowledge and widely accepted as fact. It would be beneficial for us. Of course, Vongola keeps their secrets close as to catch their enemies off-guard. It is likely that the humans will end up killing each other in their struggle to get power, and therefore avoid the worst scenario." He paused. "You understand now how peculiar your summons are, considering the threat hovering. I would say that your timing is impeccable. And yet, I wonder…" He trailed off before he waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, the Sentinels will act as we should, according to our role."

When Bermuda didn't develop, Tsuna opted to stare neutrally at the clan's head. He didn't know how he should take this comment. Did it mean that his clan would be punished for starting this mess? Or did it mean that the ancient demons would protect the hellish realm as they were instructed to by the Queen?

Tsuna sighed and rubbed his forehead. He _really_ didn't want to think about it. Suddenly, announcing that Reborn was his Chosen to his family, clan and friends seemed incredibly easy.

He realized suddenly that Bermuda had probably brought it up as a warning for him to watch out for the humans under his protection. After all, it wasn't only his clan's kids but also the Sins' protégés who were potentially targeted. He would have to inform Gluttony and Pride, just in case the three humans had demonic blood. Tsuna hadn't actively looked for traces of it so he didn't know.

"Thank you, Uncle Bermuda." He absently but genuinely smiled at the ancient Sentinel. "I'll pass the message along to whoever might be concerned."

"You're welcome, child." Bermuda rose. "Now, I should give you back to your Chosen before he decides to storm his way here. I hear that he is quite the possessive one."

Tsuna snorted. "Understatement of the century." He muttered dryly. "I was happy to see you both again." He added loudly, his smile curling his lips as he mimicked the older demon. "You wouldn't mind me coming again, would you?"

"You're always welcome here, Tsunayoshi." Bermuda waved his hand, calling forth the primal darkness. "Take care and for the Queen's sake, stay out of trouble."

"I'll try." Tsuna promised with a grin and waved even as he felt himself falling.

He stumbled when his feet hit the smooth floor of the manor, his wings beating a few times to restore his balance. With a quick glance, he realized that he was in the corridor where he had been taken from. Reborn was nowhere in sight. It didn't take a genius to deduce that he had set to find Giotto and informed him of the situation. Tsuna instantly began to jog to the reunion room, knowing that it would be better for him to appear in front of everyone as soon as possible. Briefly pausing in front of the correct door, he mentally prepared himself to burst in the middle of a violent argument and threw the door open.

To his surprise, his entry echoed loudly in the silent room where he found his clan glaring with distrust – minus Lampo who looked amused – at Reborn. The Sin was still, leaning casually against a wall with his fedora shadowing his face. The deadly aura he exuded belied his affected casualness. Every eye fell on Tsuna when he made his entrance, surprise and relief painting on most faces.

Considering the conversation he just had with Bermuda, it would be accurate to say that Tsuna was upset and partly disappointed with his family. It would explain why, instead of reassuring his clan of his well-being, the Elemental went directly to his lover without glancing at them. Reborn straightened at the unusual cold shoulder he was giving to his own, prompting him to send an inquisitive glance. Tsuna gave a one-shoulder shrug, wordlessly conveying that he would explain later, and all but melted on the Sin's chest. Placing both his hands and his head on Reborn's torso, he sighed in contentment when the Incubus didn't ask any question but merely shielded him with his wings and arms, caging him into an embrace.

The older Elementals shared glances, perplexed. Lampo shook his head and raised his hands in a silent admission of ignorance. Giotto, being both the older brother and the Head, made to approach the quiet couple. He stopped at the warning glare he received from Reborn – who knew Tsuna enough to understand that his Chosen didn't want to speak with his family. Whatever happened with the Sentinels involved the clan somehow and certainly not in a good light.

"It would be best for you to leave Tsuna alone for the time being." Reborn advised them neutrally.

The Sin ruffled the Elemental's hair, sensing that something important was going on to stress his lover like so. He distantly wondered if the clan was the cause of his distress. It would explain his behavior.

"If Tsuna is unwell, he should stay with his family." Knuckle objected quietly but with a frown, realizing that he had misunderstood the younger demon the other day.

"Tsuna doesn't want to speak with you." Reborn bluntly pointed out, tightening reflexively his hold on his lover – whether in reassurance or in possessiveness, he wasn't sure.

"I'll stay with Reborn." Tsuna's voice was muffled as he had barely moved to speak. "I'll be fine."

"Very well." Giotto ceded easily enough, aware that his brother wasn't a child but a responsible adult, and that he wasn't in any danger with Lust being with him.

"I'll be back soon." Tsuna promised, feeling a bit guilty to react like this but he had things to do and yelling at his family for being idiots wouldn't resolve the situation.

He detached himself from Reborn to face his family. He had a frown on his lips and his tail was beating the air in agitation, easily betraying his uneasiness. He laced his fingers with Reborn's. As they started to make their way to the door, the Sin nodding his goodbye to the others, Tsuna paused. He ignored Reborn's curious look to look pensively at his family.

"I had originally intended to make this announce differently but well." He interrupted himself before taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, he finished evenly. "Reborn is my Chosen. And that's final."

He then promptly dragged an amused Sin with him, leaving shocked and fondly exasperated family members behind them. In the corridor, he turned to Reborn who was gazing calculatingly at him in silent wonder.

"The Sentinels told me something important. It might also concern Fon and Verde."

"I'll contact them." Reborn instantly offered. "But first, tell me exactly what is it about."

Tsuna smiled, grateful and fond. "Sure." He agreed. "By the way, uncle Bermuda has given us his blessing."

"Only you, Tsuna." Reborn commented after a few speechless seconds of shock. "Only you."

* * *

 **A/N:** You know, it was supposed to be a plotless thing. Guess I couldn't resist but add something resembling a plot, huh?

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to point out any mistakes! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~


	10. Chapter 8

Calling Out – Chapter 8

 **Warning(s):** Summoning!AU/Demons!AU. Slight cussing.

 **Rating:** T

 **Genres:** Humor, Romance, a bit of Hurt/Comfort. Probably a bit fluffy (first part).

 **Summary:** Tsuna and Reborn act according to Bermuda's warning.

 **Characters/Pairing(s):** Adult!Reborn, Tsuna, Byakuran. R27.

 **Timeline:** Follows the last chapter.

 **Answers to reviews:** Thank you all so much for the follows, favs and reviews!

 _ **Tanukichibi:**_ Here he is. His role was decided around the same time as the Sins.

 **A/N:** Hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

Tsuna absently flicked his wrist towards the fireplace as he slowly paced on the soft fur in front of the newly-born orange flames. They crackled in the hearth merrily, in deep contrast with the frown etched on the Elemental's face. His tail was beating the air in mild agitation as he kept his wings neatly folded on his back. He stilled suddenly, forcing his shoulders to relax and closing his eyes. He let the cozy ambiance of the room wash over him and sooth his thoughts. He inhaled deeply, basking in the familiar presence of Reborn's darkness and the almost intoxicating scent floating. Should he let the fragrance overtake his senses, Tsuna wouldn't worry about anything anymore.

Temptation surrounded him, in the welcoming softness of furs on the floor, in the subdued ambiance of the room, in the concealing darkness and in the thrilling aroma.

The first time Tsuna entered Reborn's home, he had almost succumbed to the irresistible lure. Under the calculative and sharp gaze of the Incubus, he had valiantly struggled to get his body under control even as desire burst into his veins and threatened to take away his reason. Breathless despite standing still and in a last effort to resist the snare, Tsuna had reacted in sheer desperation and turned his entire body into flames. It was how Reborn learned that, as an Elemental, Tsuna could become fire if he wished but couldn't take his usual form until several days later.

(The younger demon had fiercely glared at his then-tutor for subjecting him to the test and spent the entire week as a fire evading the other, oddly offended and plotting ways to get back to the Sin.)

Nevertheless, despite the seduction literally swirling around him, Tsuna wasn't exactly in the mood to play around. Tired of standing, the Elemental promptly fell on the inviting fur. He didn't know which animal it had been, and he frankly didn't want to. It was soft, comfortable and at any other time, he would have gladly fallen asleep on it.

"I notified Pride and Gluttony." Reborn announced as he walked back into the room, pausing a few steps in to stare at his lover with an arched eyebrow. "Pride has confirmed that his protégée has demonic blood, belonging to one of the highest clan of Beasts. As for Gluttony, he knows that his geniuses are descendants from some obscure clans who have perished not too long ago."

"I see." Tsuna murmured, not really surprised.

Reborn stayed put, still gazing at his pensive Chosen. Lying flatly on his back, Tsuna had opened widely his wings coated in gentle flames, sprawled harmlessly on the fur. One of his legs was slightly bent, the ankle crossed over the other. His shirt was riding up, exposing his stomach that he was distractedly stroking with his fingers. His veins were golden, shimmering beneath his skin.

To Reborn's annoyance, the room reacted to his mood. Though he was immune to the seductive aroma swirling around them, he knew that it had turned from thrilling to downright intoxicating. He huffed at the change, crossing his arms on his chest. His eyes flicked back to Tsuna, expecting a remark. The Sin did a double take, stilling. He had apparently underestimated how out of it the Element was. Usually, Tsuna resisted quite well to the surrounding lure. And yet, he was absently unbuttoning his shirt with slow but deft fingers. One of his hands toyed with the hem then while the other moved up to stroke his throat. The flames in the hearth had dimmed, giving a subdued light. The content sigh that fell from his slightly parted lips snapped the Sin out of his silent contemplation.

"You're such a tease, Tsuna." Reborn commented as he tore his eyes away and only received an inquisitive and oblivious hum in reply.

The Sin purposefully walked over to the only couch present in the room, on the Elemental's left. He kept his gaze firmly set on the fire as he regally sat down. It reminded him that, like any Incubus or Succubus, Tsuna could affect the ambiance of a room easily. Despite being in Reborn's territory, he affected the house enough to add a _homely_ feeling that originally didn't belong there. That, and the temperature had risen to reach comfortable levels, chasing away the coldness his darkness brought along.

"Have you decided?" Reborn asked, recognizing that the pensive mood was brought by reflections on possible solutions.

He wouldn't inquire about Giotto and the others. Tsuna had explained the situation to him, and from how he had done so, it was obvious for the Sin that the Elemental had forgiven his clan's negligence but would insist to explain why he had reacted like so. He wouldn't spare his family. Coming from Tsuna, the blow would be enough to force contrition from them. No doubt, they would be more helpful in whatever plan Tsuna had been mulling over.

Reborn looked at his lover when he didn't receive an answer to his question. His mood darkened when he recognized the expression the Element was making. Narrowing his eyes, the Sin leaned forward.

"Tsuna?" He prompted, expecting to hear something he wouldn't like.

"Vongola is seeking every descendant from angels and demons, right?" Tsuna avoided his gaze, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "It's not only my kids who are targeted."

"You can't save everyone." Reborn reminded him coolly.

"I know. What I mean is…" He trailed off and ruffled his hair in agitation. "Since the problem involves a lot of people, maybe, I should ask some – "

"No."

Tsuna paused at the flat refusal, turning his head to stare at Reborn. "What do you mean, 'no'?" He frowned. "Of course – "

"No, you do not involve him." Reborn clarified, clearly annoyed.

"Come on, he could – "

"Tsuna." Reborn interrupted him once again. "I don't want you anywhere near Byakuran. He reeks of insanity. Last time you met him, he tried to kill you. He only stopped when you almost reduced him to ashes. For your own sake, _stay away from him_."

When Tsuna broke eye-contact to guiltily look away, Reborn's core froze. The Sin exhaled slowly, crossing one leg over the other. When he was sure that he could hold on his composure, he spoke up again.

"You didn't make contact again, did you?"

"I might have run into him during one of my summons." Tsuna admitted quietly. He winced when the temperature in the room dropped due to the sudden rush of darkness. "B – But nothing happened! He didn't try to kill me or anything, really."

"When?" Reborn asked as he pinned the younger demon down with furious eyes.

"It was maybe two months after Takeshi's summon." Tsuna was completely still on the floor, his gaze trapped.

"And you didn't deem important to tell me; why?"

"Because nothing happened!" The Elemental cried out, sitting up in his agitation. "It was only a coincidence!"

"Damn it, Tsuna." Reborn openly cursed, slightly baring his teeth. "You very well know that I do not believe in coincidences. I do not trust either in any word or oath he might say and take to occlude his previous deeds."

"He didn't try anything." Tsuna adopted a calm tone, trying to settle the situation before the tension exploded. "He hadn't expected my presence either if his reaction was anything to go by, and he had been civil enough to try and make amends with me."

The Sin scoffed and flicked his fedora up. "And you are foolish enough to believe empty promises?"

"No, I am wise enough to trust my instincts." Tsuna unclenched his jaw, feeling his wings rise to adopt a reflexive intimidating stance. "Byakuran has been stripped of his privileges. He isn't an archangel anymore. Most of his powers have been taken away."

"No matter how many heads you cut, the Hydra will not fall."

"Why do you persist in seeing him as an enemy?" The Elemental threw his arms up, frustrated. "He has changed, or at least, he's trying to. Whatever he has done is in the past, and even if he wanted to do it again, he can't. He has neither the magic, the power or the influence to do so. He is but a low-level angel now. You won't give him another chance, fine. Why won't you move on then?"

"Because you were dying in my arms and I couldn't do anything about it!" Reborn snapped and the entire room was plunged into icy darkness, the flames vanishing.

Tsuna stiffened at the sudden outburst, sensing his lover prowl towards him with a predatory grace. He lifted his head up as he followed the approach, any of his previous annoyance disappearing.

"Had you been a pure Elemental, I wouldn't have been able to transfer any of my energy to you. Had I been any less powerful, I wouldn't have been able to maintain you enough to wait for your brother's arrival."

Reborn loomed over Tsuna, his inky wings stretching over their forms, as his eyes reduced to two slits of abyss staring sharply down at him.

"He almost took you away from me." His voice lowered to a threatening growl even as he articulated the words clearly. "I will not forget." Hands caught Tsuna's chin in a tight grip. "I will not forgive."

A small ball of soft blue flames appeared between them, floating beneath the leathery roof. It cast odd shadows on their faces but didn't conceal any of the emotions swirling in their gazes. Reborn barely reacted at the sudden light, merely narrowing his eyes.

"If given the chance, I will gladly destroy him."

"I'm not dead." Tsuna instantly murmured, shifting so that he was on his knees and wrapping his hands around Reborn's to gently free himself. The matter-of-fact tone of the Sin's previous statement alarmed him. "I'm here, right now."

He smoothly got up, still keeping their hands joined, the flames following the movement. The inky wings retreated slowly, almost reluctantly, as Reborn leaned down simultaneously to meet Tsuna halfway.

"I don't want you to meet him."

"You know that I'm right." Tsuna kindly insisted, brushing their lips together and peering into merciless eyes. "Byakuran has infiltrated the humans long enough to form a group that rivaled Vongola. He can keep an eye on them while we inform the rest of the demons and the angels to watch out for their kin."

Reborn stayed silent, leaning back slightly. The younger demon didn't add anything else for the time being, letting his Chosen dissect the situation, the proposed solution and his own feelings. He didn't protest nor resist when the Sin began to bring them towards the couch. Without letting go of his hands, Reborn comfortably sat down, spreading his wings wide. He then tugged his lover down, wordlessly requesting him to follow. Tsuna complied happily enough, opting to plop down directly on his lap. Snuggling into Reborn's chest, he wrapped his arms around the Sin's neck and nestled his head against his lover's shoulder. Absently, Reborn began to caress his back and the joints of his wings as he kept a firm hold on his waist. As silence reigned between them, Tsuna let his body heat increase to warm up Reborn and directed his blue flames to ignite again the hearth, letting the ones on his wings be.

As minutes trickled down, Tsuna began to doze off. He tightened his hold and somehow managed to cuddle even closer, looking ready to fall asleep at any moment. It was the sigh coming from Reborn that snatched his attention back.

"Why not letting Pride inform the angels?" He suggested in a voice as suave as usual, lacking the previous violence. "Fon is perfectly able to control his temper to deal with anyone."

Tsuna snorted. "It's not his self-control the problem, but rather his total lack of tact. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to offend every soul he met with his blunt sincerity."

"What about Lal? She can be reasonable."

At that, the Elemental coughed out a struggled laugh. "Yeah, right. No, I don't think it would be a good idea to send _Wrath_ deliver a message like this, especially when it is very probable that the news won't be well-received. And don't even think about sending Colonnello." He added.

"Of course not." Reborn scoffed. "He's going to pick a fight at the first provocation."

"Greed is likely to charge them for the air they're breathing while Avarice isn't going to say anything until they get paid." Tsuna continued. "As for Gluttony, well, he's going to ask them all sorts of questions about their nature and their powers, which is most likely to outrage his interlocutors."

"There is still Skull."

Tsuna's head shot up in surprise and he stared at Reborn's indifferent face for a few seconds, not believing his ears.

"Envy is more than capable to hold his ground against angels as well as passing the message along without vexing them."

The Elemental kept silent for a while longer, still rather surprised to see that his lover could actually recognize that Envy, the youngest among them to have received a sin and who was still struggling to be accepted, had the ability to perform such an important task.

"It doesn't resolve the matter with Byakuran." Tsuna pointed out quietly. "Besides, it's about the Vongola. It's about the clan. I can't involve more outsiders."

"Fine, but I'm coming with you." Reborn conceded in a tone that brooked no argument. "You can be as trusting as you wish, as long as I am here to ensure that it won't stab you in the back." There was a short pause and then, he added. "Though, if we are going to meet the lunatic, there's no need to send Envy."

"Well, we need to inform the demons too."

"Yes, but for that end, alerting our contact networks will be enough. Between the Sins and the different clans you are acquainted with, the news will spread quickly."

"Right." Tsuna acknowledged as he finally let himself relax, relieved to have avoided a worse argument over Byakuran. "Somehow, I doubt that it would cause any panic in the realm."

"Not unless you persuade the Sentinels that we ought to keep our existence as secret as possible or unless I convince the Queen to do so." Reborn shifted to slightly curl his wings around them. "From what you told me, the Sentinels aren't overly concerned about the Vongola. They won't strike as long as no one gives them no reason to. As for the angels," he shrugged in disinterest, "they're old enough to manage by themselves."

Tsuna hummed in agreement, basking into the cold safety Reborn always wrapped him with. A few moments later, he reluctantly leaned back.

"I should go back to Giotto." He sighed. "I _did_ leave them without any explanation whatsoever. Besides, they need to be informed and they will help spread the news."

"You should, yes." Reborn agreed, releasing him slowly and unfurling his wings.

Tsuna paused, watching him intensely. The Sin stared back stoically, arching an eyebrow down at him. The Elemental nibbled on his lower lip and still perched on his lover's lap, let his fingers play with the short hair on the nape of his neck. He didn't want to leave, especially not after their discussion – after what Reborn had admitted. Even if he wouldn't tell anything, Tsuna knew him enough to notice when his Chosen wasn't fine or needed his presence.

Besides, he could let his family stew a little bit longer. They were probably racking their brains to find what could have caused him to be upset and with a little bit of luck, they would find something to be guilty over and tell him.

Who was he kidding? Of course, they had done something stupid but there was no way they would confess anything. Not without a threat of some kind.

A flick on his forehead brought him back from his thoughts, blinking at Reborn's inquisitive glance. Tsuna just tightened his hold to bury his head in his clothed shoulder, and neatly folding his wings while letting the flames vanish, he curled up to snuggle closer.

"I've changed my mind." He mumbled, his voice nearly unintelligible. "I'm staying. They can wait."

Reborn didn't say anything, simply wrapped his arms around the younger demon and closed his wings around them to form a thick and dark cocoon. A smile crossed his lips fleetingly before his eyes flashed – darkness enveloping them.

* * *

In an awfully-smelling alley, two forms stepped out of a cloak of darkness with an easiness that spoke of habit. With barely a blink, they concealed their otherworldly appendages, wings and tails vanishing. The taller of the two narrowed his eyes as he glanced around, snapping his gaze back on the younger one when he didn't find anything alarming.

"Your allure, Tsuna." Reborn reminded him. "Tone it down."

The Elemental complied with a shrug. He honestly didn't think that his lure was so powerful that it required to be repressed. He wasn't a pure Incubus, nor was he as powerful as Reborn who was attracting stares and flustering people even when the Sin made the effort to appear as human as possible. He winced when Reborn cuffed his head.

"Stop underestimating yourself." He ordered as they stepped into the busy street of an Italian city, reading his lover's mind as usual. "Contrary to most of demonic lures, yours is subtle enough to coax humans to do your bidding without pulling on their desires – carnal or otherwise." He tilted his fedora down when he noticed that they still attracted attention. "Next time I catch you thinking otherwise, I'll deem necessary to consider teaching you again with some personalized exercises."

Tsuna blanched and inched away from him, looking ready to bolt at any given moment. "No, you really don't have to."

His protest was met with a stern look. The Elemental didn't insist, knowing better, and changed subject instead.

"So, if I remember correctly, the tea house is not far from where we are." He mumbled mostly to himself as they paused at a crossroad, looking around.

Tsuna was so focused on trying to spot anything familiar to guide them to their destination that he missed Reborn's twitch. The Sin's demeanor shifted, abruptly darkening. The humans near them stilled, shooting him wary glances. The cleverest decided to continue further down on the street, figuring that they could cross the road elsewhere, after all. The others stepped away from the irked demon, creating a no man's land between the couple and everyone else.

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to run into the maniac in a tea shop?" Reborn asked lowly, not giving a care to the reactions around them.

Tsuna's attention snapped back to his lover instantly, inwardly wincing at the slip in the aura. He barely noticed the mortals' attitudes, more preoccupied into defusing the annoyance before it worsened into downright hostility.

"It has to do with my then-summoner." He hastily explained. "He was the clumsy and awkward type of adolescent who couldn't help but babble when near his crush and since his friends' advice was of no help, he kind of decided that he ought to try calling for a demon before giving up and – "

Tsuna abruptly stopped, grimacing when he realized that he was exactly doing the same thing that his former summoner – babbling. Except that it was worse, because he wasn't being charmingly awkward with his crush but annoying with his possessive-and-easily-jealous Chosen.

"Huh, long story short, the crush works in the tea room, I accompanied the guy inside and guided him into striking a conversation." Tsuna roughly summarized, observing Reborn to gauge his mood.

It wouldn't do to have an annoyed Sin meeting with Byakuran. Instead of being furiously wary, he would be downright murderous.

"They hit off pretty well. They hardly needed my help so after a while, I grew bored and went outside to walk around until my summoner properly let me go. I bumped into Byakuran when I was leaving the shop and in the short discussion we had, I learned that he was a regular."

The light turned green for the pedestrians. The humans around them instantly hurried to cross, still largely avoiding them. Tsuna only relaxed when Reborn nodded silently, ruffling his brown locks gently. The Elemental suppressed a relieved sigh as they traversed the road. He probably should have explained the fortuitous meeting earlier, insisting in how it was clearly not something that could be planned, but it was a bit annoying to have to do so in the first place. He knew that Reborn reacted so strongly due to Byakuran's past shenanigans and had nothing to do with a lack of trust in him or in his abilities to defend himself. Tsuna would never do anything that might hurt Reborn – not purposefully at least – but his tendency to attract trouble unwittingly was stress-inducing for everyone who cared about him. And that included Reborn. Who knew the Elemental perfectly well to have faith in him – as much as demons could.

And Tsuna wasn't going to develop further this train of thought which was inexplicably flustering him.

In his distraction, he had almost missed the shop. As soon as they crossed the doorstep and caused the doorbell to ring, a singing – and hated for at least one demon – greeted them.

"Tsunayoshi and his _dear_ tutor."

Tsuna reflexively grabbed Reborn's wrist, startled. The Sin merely leveled a glare at the white-haired angel creepily smiling down at them from his seat at a table. Byakuran only seemed amused by the open hostility, waving them over. Reborn moved first, gently tugging Tsuna along and ignoring the stares they attracted. The Elemental plopped down on the chair in front of his ex-enemy, flicking his eyes towards his neighboring seat. The Sin gracefully obliged, posture closed off and expression blank. His aura irradiated distrust and should his control slip, hatred. Tsuna desperately kept a hold of his Chosen's hand, opting to lace their little fingers together since he knew that Reborn would rather have his limbs free but could accept his lover's need to symbolically ask him to stay calm.

The gesture certainly didn't escape Byakuran's sharp eyes. He didn't even bother to sound or look surprised.

"Ah, that explains a _lot_." He merely commented, gazing keenly at them both.

Tsuna bit the inside of his lower lip, wincing at the unsubtle and tactless reminder.

"You expected us." Reborn stated, ignoring the previous words and refusing to react otherwise than by crossing his leg casually. "Or rather, you know that we would have come at some point."

"To be exact, I was expecting Tsunayoshi to find me." Byakuran disagreed, apparently deciding that annoying the Sin was his new hobby. "You, darling, are just an unwanted guest."

"Then, I shall live up to my nickname of nuisance." The demon smirked. "Why were you waiting for _us_?"

"To talk about the past, of course." The angel replied, both tone and smile dripping false innocence.

They stared at each other, both creepy in their own way. Tsuna was very tempted to pray God if only to keep the two of them from slaughtering each other. He shared a miserable look with the poor employee who was tasked to serve them and quietly told her the first thing that came to mind, giving her an excuse to scurry away. He didn't bother asking anything for Byakuran who was enjoying a hot chocolate and several puffy marshmallows.

"The past is important, don't you think?" The angel mused out loud after a few moments of unbearable silence, taking a sweet between his fingers. "Anything you did or said in the past will come back to haunt you. Any mistake, any mishap, any miscalculation born from the slightest negligence, can turn into the instrument of your downfall."

"It is a pity that you had failed to realize this sooner."

The employee came back with their commands, looking terribly uneasy. The tray with a hot chocolate and a cup of black coffee was lightly shaking, betraying her nerves. The Elemental took pity on her and gently pried the platter from her. She gave him a grateful if quivering smile and promptly fled.

"You're a terrible angel." Tsuna stated matter-of-factly, putting everything in front of him. "Angels aren't supposed to terrify humans."

He checked the teapot by habit, not yet pouring in his cup, but placed Reborn's coffee in front of him, receiving a nod as wordless thanks. Byakuran's eyes seemingly lit up at the remark.

"One word from you, Tsunayoshi, and I'll strip of my feathers."

"Unfortunately, Byakuran, you would make an even worse demon." Tsuna retorted without batting an eyelash and folding his hands on the table.

The angel pouted, rolling his marshmallow. "Aw, you're wounding me."

"I wish." Reborn dryly piped up, taking a sip of his black coffee.

"Anyway," the Elemental forcefully took control of the conversation. "From what I hear, you're already aware of the Clam's ploy, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically.

"The hidden shell is rather peculiar about its hermit crab." Byakuran answered anyway, shamelessly taking the metaphor further.

Tsuna made a face while Reborn scoffed wordlessly. The angel merely grinned, glancing at the younger demon playfully. He hummed as he watched the Elemental pour tea in his cup, chewing on his sweet. His demeanor shifted subtly, his grin receding to a knowing smirk as he stared intensely at Tsuna – completely ignoring the Sin.

"Are the demons beginning to worry about their spawns?" He wondered out loud after swallowing his candy. "Or are you here for something else?"

"Aren't the angels worried about their spawns?" Reborn asked mockingly, quirking an eyebrow. "Or haven't you told them what you have found?"

"Do they know, Byakuran?" Tsuna insisted quietly when the angel didn't react.

"I didn't need to." The former archangel glanced out of the window, gaze scanning the street until it locked on a man waiting for the bus on a bench, playing on his phone.

"Your nanny did it for you." The Sin translated without looking out as he had already noticed the angelic presence. "Or, rather, your _nannies_."

"That might work to our advantage." The Elemental whispered inaudibly, a thoughtful expression passing on his face, and he sipped his tea.

Silence fell once again between them, Reborn still observing Byakuran as the angel switched his gaze back to stare at Tsuna instead who kept his eyes away. The older demon finished his coffee, setting his cup down with a barely noticeable click.

Tsuna briefly closed his eyes, mentally counting down. It was nearly time to ask what they had come for.

"Why are you here, Tsunayoshi?" Byakuran finally asked as he swallowed his last marshmallow, smile gone.

"I'm looking for someone, someone special to fill a special task." He poured more tea in his cup with deliberately slow movements. "Someone who succeeded in building an empire. Someone who succeeded in making useful contacts. Someone who succeeded to rise in the shadows. Someone who blends among the humans while wearing an intricate mask, ever-watching, ever-listening and ever-knowing."

He put down the teapot and gently closed his hands around the cup, lifting it delicately. He paused, lips hovering above the rim.

"Someone who understands that kin is important and untouchable."

Byakuran's grin was slowly growing back.

"Someone to alert you and yours, should the line be crossed." The angel concluded. "Someone to raise the alarm, should the humans cross the line."

He suddenly chuckled, leaning back on his chair. He tilted his head slightly, calculative eyes staring at the Elemental.

"Now, why should I do that?" He asked, shrugging. "I am not careless, after all. I do not have the need to keep an eye on the Vongola."

"And yet, you're doing it anyway." Reborn pointed out, smirking as he realized that he had managed to make the other lose his smile. "You have created an association awfully alike the Vongola, created a rivaling relationship with them and taken several steps to ensure that they wouldn't discover who you really are. You are already keeping an eye on them as you try to control all their comings and goings."

"Besides, why would you even do that?" Tsuna continued smoothly. "What can possibly convince you?"

"You owe Tsuna your life." The Sin swiftly reminded the angel. "A long time ago, he chose to spare you instead of reducing you to ashes – as he should have done, in my opinion. After all, your ambition has led you to break several articles of the Treaty. By all rights, Tsuna should have ended your twisted existence. And yet, he did not." He uncrossed his legs to give Byakuran a long and disdainful look. "Isn't your punishment rather trivial after all? Do you really think that it was your past and your rank as an archangel that gave you so much leeway?" He didn't wait for an answer and mercilessly carried on. "Without Tsuna's forgiveness and negotiation to grant you a second chance, you wouldn't be there, angel."

"Then, what would you gain from carrying this small task?" The Elemental inquired mildly, pouring his last cup of tea.

"It is an opportunity to win some points with your folks. It will be a show of good will, a testament of how serious your wish to move on is. What kind of angel, but a genuine good one, can start a new life with the very one who caused your loss of privileges?" Reborn tilted his fedora sideways, insufferable. "And, we should do well but remember that you are making us all a favor, demons and angels alike, in accomplishing this mere task. After all, humans are creatures that we need to monitor carefully, lest we become their mere slaves."

"Don't you think it would be profitable for you?" Tsuna finally asked.

Byakuran was staring blankly at them, genuinely taken aback by the onslaught. He then started to laugh, clapping a few times, impressed. His perpetually-present smile came back, as if it had never disappeared.

"I pity your enemies, truly." He idly commented. "If you are already ruthless when dealing with business partners, I don't want to see how you are with any of your foes."

Reborn toothily smirked back while Tsuna shrugged, noncommittal.

"You know, I was already planning to repay you any favors I might owe you, Tsunayoshi." Byakuran informed them with unconcealed amusement. He tipped his head in a nod. "I see no problem in keeping an eye on Vongola and informing you of their moves. As you pointed out, Sin, humans are not to be underestimated."

Tsuna genially smiled at him, positively beaming in relief. "Thank you."

"Marvelous." Reborn swiftly got up, cutting in before the angel could say anything and prompting the younger demon to hastily finish his cup and follow suit, nodding at Byakuran. "Now that the matter is settled, let's go."

"Wait." Byakuran spoke up, stopping the demons in their tracks. "Why did you say that I would be a terrible demon earlier?"

"Your ambition was to surpass Him, wasn't it? To become Him and to stand at the very top?" Tsuna asked to check, receiving a confirming nod.

Both demons smirked at him then, Reborn sneaking an arm around Tsuna's waist, uncaring that they were in the center of a tea room, catching every patron's attention.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" They simultaneously questioned him. "Every demon knows that it is the game that's important, not the end."

And they vanished through the invisible Veil, stupefying the humans and annoying the _nannies_. Byakuran thoughtfully tapped his chin until he realized exactly what they had implied.

" _They basically told me that I'm boring, didn't they?_ "

* * *

 **A/N:** Places acting like houses are representative of their inhabitants. Example: Giotto's manor answers to Fire Elementals first and foremost, and is mostly made of fire. Another example: Reborn's place reeks of temptation, according to his nature as both an Incubus and Lust. They both have a certain amount of control over their homes, though they can't do anything about the side-effects (Reborn's mood affecting his place or the high temperature and instability of Giotto's manor).

Yeah, I'll let you decide if Byakuran is offended, amused or both.

Thank you for reading and don't hesitate to point out any mistake! Any questions or requests?

See you next time~


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